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**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 02:49 AM

Top 25 Capsules

September 27, 2015

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) Aaron Green caught a tipped pass in the back of the end zone with 23 seconds left and No. 3 TCU outlasted Texas Tech 55-52 on Saturday in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

On fourth-and-goal from the 4, Trevone Boykin's pass was high to Josh Doctson, but he got a hand on it and Green grabbed the ball as he fell out of the end zone. A video review confirmed Green had control of the ball and got a foot in bounds.

Boykin threw four touchdown passes and finished with a career-high 509 yards for TCU (4-0, 1-0). He completed 34 of 54 passes and ran for 42 yards on 14 carries.

Doctson caught three touchdown passes and had 267 yards on 18 catches - all career highs.

Green rushed for one touchdown, and the Horned Frogs got a safety in the first quarter after the snap went over Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes was 25 of 45 for 392 yards. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score for the Red Raiders (3-1, 0-1).

TCU went ahead 48-45 on Kyle Hicks' 21-yard run with 8:22 left. Texas Tech answered after two clutch third-down plays when Mahomes found Justin Stockton on a 50-yard scoring pass with 5:55 to go.

The Red Raiders didn't give up after TCU's late touchdown. On the final play of the game - after time expired and a defensive penalty on TCU - Mahomes found DeAndre Washington for a 24-yard gain. He pitched it to a lineman, who pitched it to a receiver who got the ball to Jakeem Grant. He was pushed out of bounds at the TCU 10 to end the game.

Washington ran for four touchdowns and a career-high 188 yards.

NO. 18 UTAH. 62, NO. 13 OREGON 20

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Travis Wilson returned from a shoulder sprain and threw for 227 yards and four touchdowns in Utah's victory over Oregon in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.

Wilson completed 18 of 30 passes, hitting nine receivers, and ran for 100 yards and another score for Utah (4-0). The lanky senior sprained his left shoulder two weeks ago against Utah State and sat out the Utes' victory last weekend over Fresno State.

It was Oregon's worst loss at home since falling 54-0 to Washington in 1977. Utah's 62 points were the most scored against a Pac-12 opponent since joining the league in 2011, and also the most the Ducks have ever allowed in Eugene.

Vernon Adams Jr. started at quarterback for Oregon (2-2) despite a broken index finger that kept him out of the Ducks' victory last weekend over Georgia State, but he didn't last long and was replaced by backup Jeff Lockie in the second quarter. But it was Oregon's besieged defense that had no solution for Wilson and the rolling Utes, who amassed 530 yards of total offense.

NO. 8 LSU 34, SYRACUSE 24

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Heisman Trophy hopeful Leonard Fournette ran for a career-high 244 yards and two touchdowns, Tre'Davious White returned a punt 69 yards for another score, and LSU held off Syracuse.

Fournette has his second straight 200-yard game and fifth straight 100-yard game - and it came in a fitting place.

Syracuse's tradition is based on its stellar running backs from the past, the great Jim Brown, Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis and Floyd Little, a three-time All-American in the mid-1960s. The Carrier Dome field is named in honor of Davis, the first black player to win the coveted trophy. Little, now an administrator at Syracuse, watched from the chancellor's box.

LSU (3-0), which beat Southeastern Conference rivals Mississippi State and Auburn to start the season, used big plays to hand Syracuse (3-1) its first loss despite being called for 14 penalties for 120 yards.

No play was bigger than Travin Dural's 51-yard catch on a third-and-5 play in the fourth quarter after the Orange moved within a touchdown. Brandon Harris hit Malachi Dupre with an 11-yard scoring pass with 9:14 left to seal it.

Fournette gained 48 yards to set up his first-quarter score, White found a seam up the middle and raced untouched into the end zone to give LSU a 17-3 lead in the third, and Fournette tacked on a 62-yard scoring run later in the period for a 24-10 lead.

NO. 1 OHIO STATE 38, WESTERN MICHIGAN 12

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Cardale Jones threw two touchdown passes early on and Adolphus Washington returned an interception 20 yards for a score for Ohio State.

Jones played better than he did a week ago, when he was benched in the second quarter of a seven-point victory over Northern Illinois. He finished 19 of 33 for 288 yards with an interception before J.T. Barrett replaced him late in the game.

Ohio State (3-0) has won 17 straight.

Jones threw a 38-yard scoring pass to Michael Thomas on the Buckeyes' first series, and Ohio State went up 14-0 early in the second quarter on his 37-yard pass to Jalin Marshall.

Western Michigan (1-3) made it 14-6 on a 55-yard pass by Zach Terrell to Daniel Braverman, but Terrell threw an interception that Washington returned to give Ohio State a 24-6 lead at the half.

Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott topped 100 yards for the ninth straight game, finishing with 144 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run.

NO. 2 MICHIGAN STATE 30, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 10

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gerald Holmes ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and Michigan State (AP) - overcame a sluggish performance to beat Central Michigan.

The Spartans (4-0) have scored at least 30 points in a school-record 12 consecutive games, but they did not look particularly good offensively for most of this one. Connor Cook threw for only 143 yards, and the Chippewas (1-3) kept their upset bid alive until the final period.

Michigan State's Shilique Calhoun was dominant, finishing with 2 1/2 sacks and blocking a field goal.

The Spartans, who have already lost linebacker Ed Davis and cornerback Vayante Copeland to season-ending injuries, lost standout tackle Jack Conklin to an apparent knee injury.

It was 17-10 in the third quarter and the Chippewas had the ball when the Spartans held on fourth-and-2 from the Michigan State 37. Cooper Rush threw incomplete under pressure from Calhoun and linebacker Riley Bullough. That was as close as Central Michigan came to tying it. The Spartans added touchdown runs of 3 and 6 yards by Holmes in the final 8:37.

NO. 3 MISSISSIPPI 27, VANDERBILT 16

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Chad Kelly threw for 321 yards, Jaylen Walton ran for a season-high 133 yards and Mississippi pushed past feisty Vanderbilt.

It was a mostly mediocre performance for the Ole Miss offense, which came into the game averaging 64 points - tops in the nation.

The Rebels' red zone offense was particularly bad. Ole Miss had to settle for three field goal attempts when inside Vanderbilt's 20. Two were made and one was blocked, which helped keep the Commodores in the game much longer than most expected.

Ole Miss (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) broke the game open midway through the fourth quarter when Walton ran for a 3-yard touchdown after two long runs earlier in the drive.

Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2) lost its third straight against the Rebels.

NO. 5 BAYLOR 70, RICE 17

WACO, Texas (AP) - Seth Russell matched a school record with six touchdown passes, three of his five in the first half to Corey Coleman, and Baylor routed Rice.

Russell threw for 277 yards and Shock Linwood ran for 158 and a score to help the Bears (3-0) extend the nation's longest home winning streak to 18 games, including the first eight at their campus stadium on the Brazos River.

Baylor, the national leader in yards and points per game coming in, had 444 yards at halftime and finished with 793 heading into its Big 12 opener against Texas Tech at the home of the Dallas Cowboys next Saturday.

The Owls (2-2) lost their 25th straight game against a Top 25 opponent, a streak that goes back to 1997.

NO. 6 NOTRE DAME 62, UMASS 27

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - C.J. Sanders scored on a 50-yard punt return to spark Notre Dame to four straight touchdowns.

DeShone Kizer threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Chris Brown with 6 seconds left in the first half to give the Irish (4-0) a 35-20 lead. C.J. Prosise scored on a 16-yard run, and Dexter Williams added a 14-yard touchdown run to open the second half to give the Irish a 48-20 lead.

Marquis Young had an 83-yard touchdown run for the Minutemen (0-3), and Sekai Lindsay and Jamal Wilson added 1-yard scoring runs.

NO. 7 GEORGIA 48, SOUTHERN 6

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Nick Chubb ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns and also caught a scoring pass for Georgia.

Chubb had scoring runs of 9 and 49 yards in the third quarter. The 49-yarder gave him 12 straight games with at least 100 yards rushing. He scored on a 24-yard pass from Greyson Lambert in the first quarter.

Georgia (4-0) led 17-0 in the first quarter and then played in the second quarter as if looking ahead to next week's visit from No. 12 Alabama.

Lenard Tillery had a 16-yard scoring run for Southern (2-2).

NO. 9 UCLA 56, NO. 16 ARIZONA 30

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - True freshman Josh Rosen was sharp in his first Pac-12 road game, throwing for 284 yards and accounting for three touchdowns in UCLA's victory over Arizona.

UCLA turned this Pac-12 showdown into a laugher by halftime, turning three Arizona turnovers into touchdowns while building a 28-point lead.

Rosen had two touchdowns on 19-of-28 passing and ran for another score after struggling the previous two games. Paul Perkins ran for 85 yards and three more scores and the Bruins had 497 total yards.

The Bruins (4-0, 1-0) played well defensively without star linebacker Myles Jack, grounding Arizona's high-flying offense most of the night.

Arizona (3-1, 0-1) struggled at home after rolling through a soft nonconference schedule.

NO. 12 ALABAMA 34, LOUISIANA-MONROE 0

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Jake Coker threw three touchdown passes and Alabama limited Louisiana-Monroe to 92 total yards.

The Crimson Tide (3-1) had an uneven offensive performance, but it didn't make much difference. Alabama was coming off a 43-37 home loss to Mississippi.

The Warhawks (1-2) didn't have a first down in the first 23 minutes and were held to 9 yards rushing. It was their first visit since stunning the Tide 21-14 eight years ago in coach Nick Saban's first season, which still stands as the low point of his tenure.

The Tide racked up six sacks and two interceptions.

NO. 14 TEXAS A&M 28, ARKANSAS 21, OT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Kyle Allen threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk in overtime to cap Texas A&M's comeback against Arkansas in their Southeastern Conference opener.

The Aggies (4-0) had a chance to win the game on the final play of regulation, but Taylor Bertolet's 38-yard field goal attempt was just wide right.

Allen, who was 21 of 28 passing for 358 yards with with both of his touchdowns to Kirk, hit the true freshman receiver in the end zone on the second play of overtime.

Arkansas (1-3) then got its chance, but DeVante Harris tipped away Brandon Allen's pass to Drew Morgan on fourth-and-4 from the 19.

Kirk finished with eight catches for 173 yards. Josh Reynolds had three catches for 106 yards. He had a 63-yarder to set up Texas A&M's touchdown with 2:50 left, and caught the tying 2-point conversion.

NO. 17 NORTHWESTERN 24, BALL STATE 19

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Clayton Thorson threw three touchdown passes, Justin Jackson ran for a career-high 184 yards and Northwestern overcame a sluggish first half to rally past Ball State.

Thorson, the freshman quarterback, finished 18 of 31 for 256 yards with one interception for the Wildcats (4-0). Jackson had 33 carries for an average of 5.6 yards. Dan Vitale had five receptions for 108 yards and a pair of touchdown catches, including a 66-yarder in the first half.

Riley Neal was 14 of 35 for 178 yards and two touchdowns, both to wide receiver Jordan Williams, for Ball State (2-2).

NO. 19 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 42, ARIZONA STATE 14

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Cody Kessler threw for 375 yards and five touchdowns and Southern California took advantage of Arizona State's mistakes to roll past the Sun Devils.

USC (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) scored touchdowns after all four Arizona State turnovers in the first half and led 35-0 at the break.

Arizona State (2-2, 0-1) had the ball first-and-goal at the 1 early in the second quarter when quarterback Mike Bercovici fumbled trying to hand off the ball. Chris Hawkins scooped it up and ran 94 yards for the third of the four second-quarter touchdowns for the Trojans.

Demario Richard ran for 131 yards and two scores for the Sun Devils in their Pac-12 opener.

DUKE 34, NO. 20 GEORGIA TECH 20

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Shaquille Powell ran for three touchdowns and Duke's defense dominated.

DeVon Edwards returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score, and Powell scored on runs of 1, 4 and 30 yards for Duke (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Thomas Sirk was 17 of 25 for 114 yards with an 11-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Rahming.

Justin Thomas pulled Tech to 26-20 with his 12-yard TD run with 8:02 left, and the Yellow Jackets (2-2, 0-1) had two chances after that to reclaim the lead.

They were stuffed on four downs deep inside Duke territory, a series before Thomas fumbled at his own 39 after a hit from Jeremy Cash with 2:12 left. Powell then took a fourth-and-1 handoff up the middle for the 30-yard touchdown run that iced Duke's second straight win over a ranked Georgia Tech team.

MICHIGAN 31, NO. 22 BYU 0

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Jake Rudock ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score and Michigan scored all of its points in the first half.

The Wolverines (3-1) have won three straight under Jim Harbaugh after an opening loss at Utah. They were 1-9 in their last 10 games against ranked opponents.

The Cougars (2-2) have lost in consecutive weeks, including a one-point setback at then-No. 10 UCLA, after beating then-No. 20 Boise State by double digits and Nebraska on a Hail Mary.

De'Veon Smith ran for 125 yards on 16 carries, including a tackle-breaking, 60-yard touchdown, before leaving late in the third quarter after appearing to hurt his right ankle.

NO. 22 WISCONSIN 28, HAWAII 0

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Taiwan Deal ran for 147 yards and two scores, and Wisconsin held a nonconference opponent without a touchdown for the third straight game.

Linebacker Joe Schobert had two sacks and the Badgers (3-1) held Hawaii (2-2) to 15 yards rushing in the first night game at Camp Randall Stadium in three years.

Deal got the Badgers' own rushing attack going with a pair of 2-yard touchdown runs in the first half. With Big Ten play looming, Deal's day was a promising sign for a Wisconsin team that will be without injured starting tailback Corey Clement for at least a month.

NO. 24 OKLAHOMA STATE 30, TEXAS 27

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Ben Grogan kicked a 40-yard field goal with 6 seconds left to lift Oklahoma State past Texas for the Cowboys' fourth straight win on the Longhorns' home field.

Grogan tied it with a 41-yarder with 1:33 left. The game appeared headed for overtime a minute later until Texas punter Michael Dickson, , an Australian rules football player, fumbled a deep snap and scrambled to get off a 10-yard punt near his own end zone.

Oklahoma State (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) almost didn't get a chance at Grogan's winner when the Cowboys were penalized with 10 seconds left. But because they still had a timeout, it did not force the 10-second runoff and Grogan calmly drilled the final kick.

Texas (1-3, 0-1) scored two defensive touchdowns.

KENTUCKY 21, NO. 25 MISSOURI 13

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Patrick Towles threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Kentucky past Missouri, ending the Wildcats' 18-game losing streak against ranked teams.

The Wildcats (3-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) beat a ranked team for the first since topping then-No. 18 South Carolina 31-28 in Lexington five years ago.

Towles threw TD passes of 24 yards to tight end C.J. Conrad in the third quarter and the 5-yard clincher to Dorian Baker with 6:20 remaining.

Towles was 22 of 27 for 249 yards and ran for 21 yards, including a 14-yard scoring run in the second quarter. He helped the Wildcats gain 369 yards against the nation's fourth-ranked defense.

The Tigers (3-1, 0-1) had won a school-record straight games on the road.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 02:52 AM

Loss to Utah puts Ducks in unusual place: Out of the Top 25

September 27, 2015

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) There are many Oregon opponents over the years who have probably felt the same way the Ducks do now. Accustomed to being a team that routs its opponents, Oregon got payback of sorts from Utah.

The Utes came to Eugene and beat the Ducks 62-20 on Saturday night. Oregon's defense had no solution for Utah quarterback Travis Wilson, who threw for 227 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 100 yards and another score.

Afterward, Oregon players and coaches seemed stunned.

''There are a lot of teams in this league that were waiting to step on us like that,'' offensive coordinator Scott Frost said wryly.

The Ducks, ranked No. 13 going into the game, dropped out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday, snapping a 98-week run in the poll.

Oregon hadn't lost so badly at home since 1977, when visiting Washington blanked the Ducks 54-0. Utah scored the most points ever for a visiting Oregon opponent, surpassing Washington State's 55-16 defeat of the Ducks at Autzen in 2003.

Oregon, 2-2 with losses to Michigan State and Utah, hasn't had two losses this early in the season since 2004, when the Ducks went 1-3 through the opening four games under Mike Bellotti. Oregon finished 5-6 that season, which was the last time the team had a losing overall record.

Last season, the Ducks were ranked No. 2 when unranked Arizona beat them 31-24 at Autzen, the team's first home loss since 2012. Oregon recovered, reeling off nine straight wins and making it to the national championship game against Ohio State.

But that team was led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. His replacement at starting quarterback this season is Vernon Adams Jr., who transferred to Oregon from Eastern Washington for his final season of eligibility.

Adams, however, broke his right index finger in the season opener against his former team. He struggled in the second game against Michigan State, then sat out of Oregon's 61-28 victory over Georgia State.

He returned against the Utes, but completed just two of seven passes before he was replaced by Jeff Lockie, Mariota's backup last season. Afterward, Adams refused to use the finger as an excuse.

''I just wasn't making the throws that I needed to make, that I usually make,'' he said.

Lockie marched Ducks to a touchdown on his first drive of the game, but Utah quickly answered to make it 27-13 at the half. Lockie would finish with 10-of-20 passing for 139 yards. He was intercepted twice and sacked four times.

But perhaps a bigger factor in the loss was Oregon's defense, which was already under scrutiny before Utah came to town.

The Ducks' overall defense is ranked 110th among FBS-level teams, with opponents averaging of 474.8 yards a game. Oregon's opponents are averaging 40.8 points through the first four games, and the Ducks have allowed 301.5 passing yards per game.

The Ducks' secondary was particularly struggling. The coaches tried to shake things up, with redshirt freshman cornerback Glen Ihenacho and redshirt sophomore safety Juwaan Williams making their first starts, joining freshman corner Ugo Amadi and sophomore safety Tyree Robinson. Cornerback Chris Seisay was out with an undisclosed injury.

''I was surprised,'' Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum said about the D. ''I thought we were where we needed to be, but there are some things we've got to figure out.''

Oregon coach Mark Helfrich took responsibility for the loss after the game. The Ducks were off on Sunday, but will return to practice on Monday to prepare for Colorado on the road next weekend.

''Anything that could have gone wrong went wrong,'' Helfrich said. ''We didn't play well enough to win. That starts and ends with me.''

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 02:55 AM

Pac-12 after dark horrors for No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Arizona

September 27, 2015

Pac-12 after dark was a horror show for No. 13 Oregon and No. 16 Arizona as No.18 Utah and No. 9 UCLA turned the only games matching ranked teams on Saturday into routs.

The Utes (4-0) put a record-breaking beat down on the Ducks at Autzen Stadium, pounding Oregon 62-20.

After a week spent discussing whether Alabama was on the decline after the Crimson Tide lost at home, maybe it's time to start having that conversation about Oregon in the post-Chip Kelly and post-Marcus Mariota era.

For the first time in more than a decade, the Ducks look done before October even starts. The last time the Ducks (2-2) lost two games in September was 2004. They finished 5-6 that season, the only losing record for the program since 1993.

If quarterback Vernon Adams can get healthy and the defense can figure out a way to plug massive holes, Oregon could still win the Pac-12 North. But the Ducks have a long way to bounce back from allowing the most points ever by an opponent ever in Autzen.

In Tucson, Arizona, the Bruins (4-0) hammered the Wildcats 56-30 and ran coach Jim Mora's record against Arizona's Rich Rodriguez to 4-0.

Despite losing three key players on defense to injury, including star linebacker Myles Jack, the Bruins have rolled behind freshman quarterback Josh Rosen.

Add in No. 19 Southern California's 42-14 blowout at Arizona State and it was an all-around bad day for the Grand Canyon State's big two.

Overall road teams went 5-0 in Pac-12 games. There are plenty of huge games left to in the Pac-12. Hopefully, they will be more competitive than Saturday night's. And Oregon fans can only hope their team will be involved in a few of them.

---

BONKERS BIG 12

For anyone who thought the Big 12 was TCU, Baylor and everybody else, think again.

The third-ranked Horned Frogs needed one of the most improbable bounces and one of the most amazing catches you will ever see to get out of Lubbock, Texas, with a 55-52 victory against Texas Tech on Saturday.

TCU staying undefeated in what could turn out to be the game of the season was the big initial story. The long-term significance is the Red Raiders (3-1) look as if we'll hear from them again.

Against the team that dropped 82 on them last year, the Red Raiders went blow for blow with Trevone Boykin and the Horned Frogs only to watch Aaron Green make a diving catch off a deflection in the end zone for the go-ahead TD with 23 seconds left.

''He saved us, so we're 4-0,'' TCU star receiver Josh Doctson said about Green.

Then Tech nearly completed a Bahamas Bowl-style last-play miracle as if things weren't crazy enough in Lubbock.

Next week Texas Tech gets No. 5 Baylor at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Watch out Bears.

The other Big 12 team rising looks to be West Virginia. The Mountaineers moved to 3-0 with a 45-6 victory against Maryland. Coach Dana Holgorsen's drew the short straw of the Big 12 schedule, getting TCU and Baylor on the road later this season.

Throw in No. 15 Oklahoma, which hosts West Virginia next week, and No. 24 Oklahoma State (4-0) and the Big 12 could become a battle of attrition. And that could be a problem in the playoff race for the conference that missed out last season despite two dominant teams.

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BIG GAME IN ... BLOOMINGTON?

Cardale Jones had the Ohio State quarterback job mostly to himself and the Buckeyes looked a lot more like the team they were expected to be Saturday in a 38-12 victory against Western Michigan.

The Buckeyes (4-0) now move on to a big game against - wait for it - undefeated Indiana (4-0). The Hooisers won 31-24 at Wake Forest to set up the most interesting game in Bloomington in as long as anyone can remember.

Indiana's start is its best since 1990, though quarterback Nate Sudfeld and the Hoosiers are taking it all in stride.

''We've got a lot of work to do, but it's good to be 4-0,'' Sudfeld.

A Twitter movement trying to get ESPN's College GameDay to Bloomington sprung up last week, though the network might have a difficult time staying away from No. 6 Notre Dame's visit to No. 11 Clemson.

Regardless of whether they get the spotlight, the Hoosiers' fast start is helping Ohio State. The Buckeyes schedule has taken plenty of shots from fans and a few Southeastern Conference coaches. But with Indiana unbeaten, Michigan quickly improving and Penn State bouncing back after being upset by Temple, suddenly the Buckeyes' schedule doesn't look quite so cushy.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 02:57 AM

Richt warns Georgia players to ignore Alabama big-game hype

September 27, 2015

ATLANTA (AP) Mark Richt's first words to his Georgia players about Alabama came with a warning:

Beware the hype.

In the first meeting between the teams since the 2012 Southeastern Conference championship game, No. 8 Georgia will play No. 13 Alabama on Saturday.

Georgia hasn't returned to the SEC championship game since the 32-28 loss in 2012. The Bulldogs, who haven't won a SEC title since 2005, can prove Saturday they are a championship contender - but that's just the sort of big-picture talk that Richt wants to avoid.

Following a 48-6 victory over Southern on Saturday, Richt told his players to keep their focus on the one game and the work they must accomplish this week in practice and in classes.

''All the other stuff is not healthy to get in the middle of,'' Richt said. ''You focus on your job. You focus on getting better.''

The 2012 loss ended with Georgia at Alabama's 5. Senior John Theus, who was a freshman starter at right tackle, said he still thinks about the game ''and how close we were, how crazy that game was.''

Theus said this year's game is not about avenging that loss.

''This game is just another game we have to win to get to where we want to go,'' he said. ''... I don't think the guys need more motivation for it.''

Richt said Sunday he may refer to film of the 2012 game, but only for strategy. Asked if it could be a motivational tool, Richt said ''No, we won't look at it for that reason.''

The visit from Alabama opens a crucial three-game stretch for Georgia (4-0, 2-0 that also includes SEC games against Tennessee and Missouri, the two-time defending SEC East champion.

Alabama is the biggest game of the stretch, and perhaps of the season.

Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert flourished in his first big SEC game, completing 24 of 25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-20 win over South Carolina on Sept. 19. He completed 96 percent of his passes in the game to set a NCAA record.

He was accurate again against Southern, completing 9 of 10 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

Minutes after hearing Richt's postgame speech on Saturday, Lambert said he won't listen when ''people are going to want to say this and that'' about the Alabama game.

Alabama beat Louisiana-Monroe 34-0 on Saturday. Georgia opened its season by beating Louisiana-Monroe 51-14.

''Alabama's defense is a lot bigger. Georgia's defense is a lot faster,'' said Louisiana-Monroe wide receiver Ajalen Holley, who said he thought his team's running backs ''could be on the edge a little better against Alabama. When it comes to Georgia, we couldn't, because they're a faster outside defense.''

Holley said Alabama's defensive line ''can fill gaps better than Georgia.''

Alabama wide receiver ArDarius Stewart said he hopes the Crimson Tide is the underdog at Georgia.

''It's always fun,'' Stewart said. ''You want to go out and show what you can do. (When) you're the underdog, you go out in practice, work harder, and you're going to see it on the field.''

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:00 AM

Ohio St. chases perfection, others enjoy it while it lasts

September 27, 2015

Seventeen teams have made it through the first third of their schedules with 4-0 records. Here are five with shots to make it unbeaten through the regular season and five that probably will have their bubbles burst.

First, the ones with a chance:

OHIO STATE

Why Buckeyes keep winning: The defending national champions, winners of 17 straight, are the most talented team in the country.

Why they might not: If they don't shore up some inconsistencies on offense.

Next tough test: Nov. 21 vs. Michigan State.

Star, so far: Adolphus Washington has played the best on a defensive line stocked with NFL talent.

MISSISSIPPI

Why Rebels keep winning: Chad Kelly keeps chucking it for 300 yards a game to a wealth of receivers.

Why they might not: If they're as flat as they were against Vanderbilt, they won't make it through the SEC unscathed.

Next tough test: This week at Florida.

Star, so far: Kelly, the first-year starter, has thrown 10 TD passes.

UTAH

Why Utes keep winning: A favorable schedule, and fourth-year starting QB Travis Wilson keeps the offense moving like it did against Oregon.

Why they might not: The Utes' defense is stout up front, but the secondary is vulnerable to the big play.

Next tough test: Oct. 10 vs. California.

Star, so far: Wilson has completed 68 percent of his passes and thrown for 4 TDs and run for 67 yards a game and 3 TDs.

NOTRE DAME

Why Irish keep winning: The replacements for the long list of injured players keep performing at a high level, particularly QB DeShone Kizer.

Why they might not: More injuries, and if the secondary keeps giving up big plays.

Next tough test: This week at Clemson.

Star, so far: Kizer, who has started the last four games after being the No. 3 QB in the spring, is hitting 68 percent of his passes with 5 TDs against 2 picks.

GEORGIA

Why Bulldogs keep winning: Greyson Lambert comes anywhere close to matching his interception-free, 77-percent passing.

Why they might not: The defense has had a tendency to lose focus at times, and even a brief letdown gets you beat in the SEC.

Next tough test: This week vs. Alabama.

Star, so far: There are several to choose from, but RB Nick Chubb is averaging 150 yards a game and has gone over 100 in 12 straight games.

---

Some teams bound to get beat:

INDIANA

When it could happen: This week against Ohio State.

Why: The defense has given up 499 yards a game against weak opposition.

Why they might keep winning: QB Nate Sudfeld maintains his 7-to-1 TD-to-interception ratio.

Star, so far: UAB transfer Jordan Howard is running for 169 yards a game.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE

When it could happen: This week against Louisville.

Why: The record is built against overmatched competition. The Wolfpack were 4-0 at time this last year before going 3-5 in the ACC.

Why they might keep winning: The rushing game keeps generating 250 yards a game and the defense holds steady.

Star, so far: Matt Dayes has run for 100-plus yards in all four games.

UCLA

When it could happen: Oct. 15 at Stanford.

Why: Bruins have to go to Utah in November, and as good as QB Josh Rosen has been, he's still a freshman, and he won't navigate the Pac-12 without throwing in a clunker somewhere.

Why the Bruins might keep winning: Rosen keeps growing and the defense is able to manage without Myles Jack.

Star, so far: Except for his struggles against BYU, Rosen has lived up to his five-star recruiting rating.

MICHIGAN STATE

When it could happen: Oct. 17 at Michigan.

Why: The injury list seems to get longer by the week, and pass defense is a major concern.

Why the Spartans might keep winning: The Connor Cook-led offense keeps scoring 30-plus points a game.

Star, so far: WR Aaron Burbridge has more than twice as many catches (24) as the team's No. 2 receiver.

TCU

When it could happen: Nov. 7 at Oklahoma State.

Why: The defense isn't as good as expected, and it's playing in a conference whose calling card is high-scoring offenses.

Why the Horned Frogs might keep winning: QB Trevone Boykin and WR Josh Doctson keep putting up crazy numbers.

Star, so far: Doctson already has 35 catches, most of any receiver at a Power Five school, and he already has six TDs.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:03 AM

Older coach Patterson glad with No. 4 TCU's big-scoring wins

September 27, 2015

A younger Gary Patterson would have been overly frustrated by the 52 points and 607 yards allowed by the TCU defense.

''The older Gary Patterson is just glad we won by three points,'' the Horned Frogs coach said.

Another wild shootout in the Big 12 for the fourth-ranked Frogs with their 55-52 escape at Texas Tech on Saturday. They have won 12 in a row since that 61-58 loss last year at Baylor.

Patterson, in his 15th season as coach and still running the TCU defense like he did three years before that, seems willing to maybe accept this as more of the new norm.

Especially with an injury plagued defense filled with first-time starters and youngsters, and a high-powered offense led by Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback Trevone Boykin and equally talented receiver Josh Doctson.

''Outscoring people for 12 ballgames, why not? Everybody else has been doing it,'' Patterson said. ''I've been having to do it with defense and winning 17-10. How about we go nine and 10 ballgames and outscore people? That would be nice. ... If I win 17-10, I have no offense. Now I win 55-52, and you're going to say we're going to have to ride Doctson and Trevone.''

All that matters to Patterson and playoff hopeful TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) is winning games by one point - no matter the score in a league where half the teams average more than 41 points a game.

Five Big 12 teams are among the top 12 FBS teams in total yards. Defending league co-champs Baylor (767 total yards per game) and TCU (637 ypg), both snubbed for the first College Football Playoff, rank 1-2 nationally.

TCU, with at least 55 points in three consecutive games for the first time, hosts Texas (1-3, 0-1) next Saturday.

Boykin threw for 485 yards and Doctson matched a Big 12 record with 18 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech, which won 56-53 in triple overtime at TCU three years ago in the Frogs' first Big 12 season.

But Boykin's fourth-and-goal pass from the 4 was high and deflected off Doctson's hands. Running back Aaron Green made a diving snag, getting a foot down before falling out of bounds with 23 seconds left.

''You can just go back to last year, and the coaches hate talking about last year and everybody else does, but I mean, just seeing what happened to us in the Baylor game and finishing was our main thing,'' Boykin said. ''We really just never wanted that feeling again, and since that day we've been on the grind, we've been pushing each other, trying to make each other the best players we do, and this is just the result.''

The Frogs led 58-37 with 11 minutes left at Baylor last October before the Bears scored the game's last 24 points.

TCU hasn't lost since - with a winning streak now equivalent of a full regular season - after the highlight play by Green for the 10th lead change against the Red Raiders.

''We've been through a lot. We've been through terrible seasons, we've been through good seasons,'' said Green, who also ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns. ''We've prevailed. That's what we do. That's TCU football.''

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:14 AM

Big 12 Notebook: Decimated TCU passes toughest test yet

INSIDE SLANT

Typically Josh Doctson catches just about anything thrown his direction.

He did against Texas Tech, snagging 18 receptions for 267 yards and three touchdowns. But when his chance for a fourth TD caromed off his fingers on a fourth down pass in the red zone, the third-ranked Horned Frogs appeared to be doomed.

"My heart sunk," Doctson said.

However, out of thin air, running back Aaron Green traced the deflection and caught the ball in the back of the end zone and TCU climbed to 4-0 with a frantic 55-52 victory at Texas Tech.

"You never know. Someone could drop the ball or they could fumble, anything like that," Green told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "So I knew there was a chance, but you know, Josh Doctson pretty much catches everything. But I knew there was a chance that he might not catch it. I did what I was told. I saw the ball and followed it the whole way."

The victory preserved an undefeated start for TCU, which has been decimated by injuries and suspensions. The trip to Tech figured to be the toughest test to date and was, as the Red Raiders generated 607 yards. The Frogs responded with 750.

The teams combined for 70 first downs and swapped the lead 10 times. Just to make it interesting, the Red Raiders used a series of laterals on the game's final play -- time had already expired but a TCU defensive penalty gave Tech one last snap -- to progress from midfield before WR Jakeem Grant was finally stopped at the TCU 8-yard line.

The issues that have left the TCU defense without seven starters seemed to be eating at Gary Patterson's team on the road trip.

"I didn't think they believed they could win this game," the TCU coach said. "All the people who have gone down, all the emotional leaders and everything. ... No matter how the rest of the year goes, you have to give this group a lot of credit."

BAYLOR (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Baylor 70, Rice 17. The Bears generated 700 yards for the third time in as many games, gaining a season-high 793 while handing the Owls their 25th consecutive defeat against a Top 25 opponent. QB Seth Russell completed 12-of-16 passes for 277 yards and tied a Baylor record with six touchdown strikes. Three of those scores were to WR Corey Coleman as the Bears built a prohibitive halftime margin. The win was the 18th in a row at home for Baylor, which is now 8-0 at McLane Stadium, which opened last year.

Takeaway: Distractions dogged Baylor throughout fall camp and then continued into the early stages of the season when two assistants were suspended for one game because of violations committed while recruiting. Before that, a transfer who had been booted out of Boise State for domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend, DE Sam Ukwuachu, was convicted of sexual assault. The case created a national firestorm.

Meanwhile, Baylor still had to play football and coach Art Briles noted after the Rice game that he probably did not handle issues in the best fashion.

"It's been extremely difficult. It's been personally difficult," Briles said. "My job is not to be personal, it's to be professional. I had to quit acting like a baby and act like a man. I'm back to doing my job, which is whatever I can do to help these guys be the best on and off the field that they can be."

Not a moment too soon, either. With Big 12 play looming, the Bears needed "close to a complete game" -- the term Briles used to describe the win over Rice. Baylor meets Texas Tech, which took TCU to the wire on Sept. 26, in an Oct. 3 game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex.

"Penalties are a little bit of an issue," Briles said of the 14 infractions Baylor committed for 145 yards. "Other than that, this was a pretty good team win. We understand the competition is going to get higher, and the stakes and the emotions are going to get higher. But what helps us is we've been on those high notes the past few years."

Baylor struck for 39 first downs, while balancing its attack. In addition to the big gains Russell managed averaging 14.6 yards per attempt, the Bears had two 100-yard rushers. Junior Shock Linwood provided 158 yards on 16 carries, while freshman Terence Williams added 111 yards on 19 attempts.

Next: vs. Texas Tech (at Arlington, Tex.), Oct. 3.

IOWA STATE (1-2, 0-1)

Game: Idle.

Next: vs. Kansas, Oct. 3.

KANSAS (0-3, 0-0)

Game: Rutgers 27, Kansas 14. The Jayhawks dropped their 31st consecutive road game, and 34th outside of Lawrence, by failing to capitalize on 10 penalties against Rutgers and also three turnovers they forced against the Scarlet Knights. QB Deondre Ford, a junior college transfer, drew his first start. He was replaced by the usual regular, Montell Cozart, who was reported to be suffering from flu-like symptoms. Neither sparkled as Kansas generated 342 yards and went just 6-of-16 converting third and fourth downs.

Takeaway: The talent shortage at Kansas was clearly obvious again. Playing with a depleted roster that is 24 scholarship players short of the limit, the Jayhawks could not stop basic run plays.

Rutgers came into the game reeling because of disciplinary issues including head coach Kyle Flood serving a three-game suspension. Yet the Scarlet Knights were content to begin the second half with 19 run calls on the first 20 snaps, while finishing with 312 rushing yards. Interim coach Norries Wilson approved the plan Rutgers used.

"That's a Big Ten football team, and they're built a lot differently than we are," Kansas coach David Beaty said. "They're built to run right behind those big dudes up front. I don't blame Coach Wilson. I probably would have had the same plan, to run right at us because that's what they're built for."

Numerous breakdowns hurt the Jayhawks, including three on critical fourth downs they failed to convert. The defense improved enough to keep the game even in the second half, but Kansas still managed just one touchdown and could not rally behind Cozart, who completed 13-of-18 passes for 193 yards. RB Ke'aun Kinner, who had hit the 100-yard mark in each of his first two starts, was limited to 30 yards on 15 carries as Rutgers dared Kansas to throw.

"We've just got to continue to understand those situations are what make good teams great, and average teams not very good," said Beaty, who was bidding to become the first new coach at Kansas to win his first road game since 1975. The Jayhawks have not beaten a nonconference opponent on the road since a 2009 win at UTEP.

Next: at Iowa State, Oct. 3.

KANSAS STATE (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Idle.

Next: at Oklahoma State, Oct. 3.

OKLAHOMA (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Idle.

Next: vs. West Virginia, Oct. 3.

OKLAHOMA STATE (4-0, 1-0)

Game: Oklahoma State 30, Texas 27. PK Ben Grogan connected on field goals of 41 and 40 yards in the final 93 seconds as the Cowboys claimed their fourth straight win at Texas. QB Mason Rudolph was not sharp, completing 22-of-34 passes for 290 yards but was intercepted twice including one that.was returned for a touchdown. Texas also scored on a fumble return. The Cowboys were limited to 103 yards rushing and were led by RB Rennie Childs, who provided 54 yards on 21 carries.

Takeaway: The chance for Grogan to win a game was an opportunity the junior accepted following a slow start to the season.

Grogan had missed two of the five field goals he attempted in the first two games and also missed two PATs on low kicks. Those misses drew the ire of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy who pinned the blame squarely on his kicker.

Still, Grogan never sensed anything disruptive in the locker room.

"I don't think anyone ever doubted me for a second," he said.

With his confidence apparently restored, Grogan made both late field goals at Texas, even though his team almost sabotaged the last opportunity. The Cowboys were called for delay of game with 10 seconds remaining, but because they had a time out left, they avoided the automatic 10-second runoff stipulated in the timing rules.

"You can't let anything else get the better of you or change anything you do," Grogan said. "I just go through my normal routine, kick a couple and then just hang out. Wait for my turn to do my job."

Next: vs. Kansas State, Oct. 3.

TCU (4-0, 1-0)

Game: TCU 55, Texas Tech 52. WR Josh Doctson caught 18 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first TCU receiver since his quarterback, Trevone Boykin, to produce double-digit receptions in a game. Boykin completed 34-of-54 passes for 485 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. RB Aaron Green, who added 162 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, caught a pass in the back of the end zone for the decisive touchdown with 23 seconds left after it bounced off Doctson's hands.

Takeaway: Throughout nonconference play, when TCU learned how to cope with the loss of seven defensive starters, coach Gary Patterson stressed that the Frogs had to eke out wins in shootouts when necessary.

The approach has been far different for the defensive-oriented Patterson, who came to TCU as defensive coordinator under Dennis Franchione and is now in his 15th season as head coach.

"I've gone from one baby aspirin to two," Patterson said after watching the Frogs allow 607 total yards. "I may go to extra strength Tylenol. Jiminy Christmas."

Veterans on the TCU squad learned to take nothing for granted last year when a 21-point lead was blown in the fourth quarter at Baylor. TCU has won 12 straight since that 61-58 defeat, which caused the Frogs to officially share the Big 12 title a year ago with the Bears.

"Seeing what happened in that Baylor game and finishing was our main thing," Boykin said. "We really just never wanted that feeling again. Since that day, we've been on the grind and pushing each other. This is the result."

The push will not get any easier for the short-handed Frogs.

Still, they prevailed over Texas Tech in a tough road environment, largely behind the playmaking capabilities of a loaded offense that Boykin engineers.

"You guys kill me," Patterson told the press. "If I win 17-10 I have no offense. Now I win 55-52 and you're going to say we're going to have to ride Doctson and Trevone. There have been a bunch of guys in this league that have had great wide receivers and great quarterbacks and been doing it. ... I'm just glad we're here at 55-52 and we've got to go back to the drawing board and try and get better and see if we can find a way we can beat Texas by one point."

Next: vs. Texas, Oct. 3.

TEXAS (1-3, 0-1)

Game: Oklahoma State 30, Texas 27. Texas scored two touchdowns off defensive takeaways, a fumble return by DT Hassan Ridgeway and an interception return by DB Holton Hill, but problems on special teams again arose. One week after Jerrod Heard drew his first start at quarterback and responded by setting a school-record for total yardage, the Longhorns were limited to one offensive touchdown. The start for Texas is its worst since 1956, the year before legendary Darrell Royal took over as coach.

Takeaway: A missed extra point cost Texas a chance to send a game one week earlier into overtime as it lost 45-44 to Cal. This time, it was the failure of executing a punt in the final seconds of regulation that cost the Longhorns.

Punter Michael Dixon, a freshman who formerly played Australian Rules Football, dropped a snap, then hurried to get off a punt that netted just 10 yards and gave Oklahoma State possession on the Texas 18-yard line with 36 seconds remaining. Ben Grogan, who tied the game with a field goal with 1:33 remaining, tacked on the game-winner for the Cowboys from 40 yards out.

"Two straight Saturdays you had it right there in your hands and let it slip away," Texas coach Charlie Strong said.

Strong contributed to the miscues by drawing a personal foul for complaining to the referees. The penalty helped set up the game-tying field goal by Grogan from 41 yards. Strong's infraction came after a holding call against the Longhorns caused his frustrations to boil over.

"I probably shouldn't have got the call I got, but I got upset and I've got to learn to just control my composure," said Strong, who now is 7-10 overall in his second season as Texas coach.

Hill's interception return was the only score the Longhorns managed in the second half. A double-pass play the Longhorns executed for a 53-yard gain was ruled illegal. In addition, an interception return into Oklahoma State territory was called back because DT Poona Ford roughed the passer.

Mistakes such as those continue to affect the slim margin of error the Longhorns are playing with and tilt it in favor of opponents.

Next: at TCU, Oct. 3.

TEXAS TECH (3-1, 0-1)

Game: TCU 55, Texas Tech 52. QB Patrick Mahomes passed for 392 yards and two touchdowns despite injuring his left knee early in the first quarter. RB Deandre Washington shouldered more of the load for the Red Raiders, rushing for a career-best 188 yards on 24 carries. Tech allowed a touchdown on a tipped pass with 23 seconds left, but nearly pulled out a miracle with a series of laterals downfield following a 24-yard completion on the game's final play before WR Jakeem Grant was finally pushed out of bounds at the TCU 8-yard line.

Takeaway: Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury was quick to credit his quarterback for a "gutsy performance."

"He wasn't his normal self, I think you could see that," Kingsbury added.

Although Mahomes was clearly hobbled and wore a knee brace for the remainder of the game following a hit he took on a 15-yard keeper, he did not play as if injured. At least not according to the stats which were accumulated in video game fashion as the teams opened Big 12 play by trading the lead 10 times.

Had protection issues materialized, Kingsbury said he would have summoned backup QB Davis Webb, who played in eight games last season and led the Red Raiders with 2,539 yards passing and 24 touchdowns. Yet Mahomes was sacked just once and had ample protection.

"He took a few shots," said Kingsbury, "but no, never really got to (replacing Mahomes)."

The issue now for the Red Raiders will be bouncing back from such a disappointment after having the No. 3 team in the country on the ropes. The defensive matchup will get no easier on Oct. 3 when Tech travels to a neutral site, Cowboys Stadium, to face Baylor, which has generated 700-plus yards in each of its games during a 3-0 start.

"You get 12 opportunities a year guaranteed," Kingsbury reasoned. "So you'd better get ready for each one, and that team we're playing next week, I mean, is as good as anyone in the country. ... Can't fault our effort. We just didn't execute the way we have been the previous weeks."

Washington, who rushed for four touchdowns, put it this way: "We played that game to the end, and how it ended? I just feel like that is a tough one. But you know, we've still got a long season to go."

Next: vs. Baylor (at Arlington, Tex.), Oct. 3.

WEST VIRGINIA (3-0, 0-0)

Game: West Virginia 45, Maryland 6. RB Wendell Smallwood rushed for a career-best 147 yards and the Mountaineers generated 601 yards of total offense, establishing a 38-0 halftime lead before punching the cruise control. QB Skyler Howard completed 21-of-33 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns as West Virginia remained undefeated going into Big 12 play. The Mountaineers allowed only 23 points in nonconference play. The win over Maryland was the ninth in the last 10 meetings.

Takeaway: Sooner or later, Howard was bound to throw an interception. He did so in the second quarter, ending a string of 178 attempts without a pick.

"It was going to happen. It's part of the game," Howard said. "I'm not glad it happened, but I'm glad it happened (against a nonconference opponent)."

Any concern over the interception was mitigated by how West Virginia established control from the outset. Maryland can be credited for adding to the Mountaineers' intensity. A late hit out of bounds on Howard by the Terrapins' A.J. Hendy provided extra incentive.

"Not that we weren't fired up," said Howard, "because this was a big game with a big atmosphere, and obviously, we respect our opponent. But we don't really care for them. I think that (late hit) fired everybody up, including me."

The West Virginia defense made key stops, including interceptions in the end zone by S Karl Joseph and CB Daryl Worley to blunt Maryland scoring opportunities. Maryland QB Caleb Rowe passed for only 67 yards, going 10-of-27, before he was replaced by Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman, who engineered the Terrapins' only touchdown.

The Mountaineers entered with a Big 12-best turnover ratio of plus-5, and boosted that to plus-10 with the six takeaways against the Terrapins. Five different Mountaineers snagged interceptions.

Next: at Oklahoma, Oct. 3.

NOTES, QUOTES

--Oklahoma State needed to alternate quarterbacks against Texas after starter Mason Rudolph struggled. Backup J.W. Walsh, the Cowboys starter to begin last season before an injury limited him to four games, played for most of the fourth quarter.

Not that the Cowboys were going to gamble much in that period. Their play selection prior to a 41-yard field goal by PK Ben Grogan that tied the game with 1:33 remaining consisted entirely of running plays that went nowhere. But after Rudolph had thrown two interceptions, one of which was returned for a third quarter touchdown, head coach Mike Gundy was going to be conservative.

"I thought our defense was playing good enough," Gundy said. "We had already made mistakes and put ourselves in a difficult situation. We needed a field goal to try to get this thing in overtime, to try and regroup and try to put something together. I didn't want to make another critical mistake and take ourselves out of the game."

As it was, Texas made the critical error, failing to get off a good punt inside a minute and allowing Oklahoma State to take possession on the Longhorns 18-yard line. Grogan again was summoned and booted a game-winning 40-yarder.

That ending enabled Oklahoma State to overcome shaky play from Rudolph, a sophomore whose redshirt was stripped in the 11th game last season. He then delivered wins over Oklahoma and Washington.

Rudolph will remain the Cowboys starter. There is no quarterback controversy. He just needs to learn from his mistakes and move on after ineffective play caused him to be replaced by Walsh, a backup who has his own package of plays the OSU staff has designed.

"This was his seventh game," Gundy said of Rudolph, "so he's running out of it being early in his career. He needs to pick it up a little bit, but (Texas) is the best team he's played this year. This team has speed. They've got size. They've got strength. ... So that was (Rudolph's) first challenge. It is early in his career, but he needs to play better. Period."

--Texas Tech has often faced questions regarding its defense, dating back to when Mike Leach established his Air Raid system and the Red Raiders were at their best in the Big 12.

Following a 55-52 loss to TCU, the questions remain. Tech could not manage many stops, including the one they needed on a fourth down play with 23 seconds left when the Horned Frogs scored the decisive touchdown on a deflection RB Aaron Green snagged in the back of the end zone.

The connection capped a 750-yard effort by TCU, including 503 through the air. Texas Tech knew that kind of shootout was possible but could not capitalize on injuries that left seven TCU regulars out on defense. The Tech offense was able to move the ball, but the defense could never protect a lead.

"They just do a good job of doing what they do," LB Micah Awe said. "They are No. 3 in the nation for a reason. They got a couple of run plays on us but at the end of the day we are a defense. We've got to stop them from making more points than our offense."

Texas Tech ranked ninth in the Big 12 in total defense a year ago, permitting 513.4 yards per game. The unit appeared to be making strides through a 3-0 start against nonconference opponents. But TCU was a different animal, particularly with Boykin and WR Josh Doctson connecting for 18 receptions. Doctson was the Horned Frog who tipped the game-winning TD, which Green was alert enough to retrieve.

"They did everything they could," Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said of his defense on the last touchdown. "They've got great players. (Doctson is) probably the only cat in America that could get his hand on that, and (Green) is a tremendous running back, does a great job catching the ball out of the backfield. Big-time play. They made a big-time play and our guys did everything they could."

--West Virginia had its backs to the wall numerous times against Maryland, yet the defense delivered with two interceptions in the end zone. Another time, just when the Terrapins appeared to be headed in for a 55-yard TD run, CB Terrell Chestnut made a strip near the goal line and the ball bounced through the end zone for a touchback.

It's still early and its possible West Virginia's defensive fortunes have been the result of weak opposition. Going into Big 12 play, however, the Mountaineers will carry an impressive turnover ratio of plus-10 while allowing just 7.7 points through a 3-0 start that included a 45-6 rout of Maryland.

"Now it's time to move on to the Big 12," said defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, fully aware the Mountaineers face a stiff challenge traveling to Oklahoma on Oct. 3. "We still have to clean up a couple mistakes. We had a couple open-field tackles we missed."

Otherwise, West Virginia was thoroughly dominant against Maryland. A 38-0 shutout was recorded in the first half before the Terrapins called on a backup quarterback, Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman, to execute their only touchdown march.

"Our guys came out and played hard; played hard for three quarters," Gibson said. "I then put some backup guys in and we gave up a touchdown. That was disappointing because we didn't get the shutout, but the ultimate goal is to win."

Finding one outstanding stat line for a WVU defender would be difficult. Nine Mountaineers recorded tackles for loss, including three sacks. Their tackling leader, LB Jared Barber, was credited with five stops. It was a team effort, something West Virginia's defense continues to build as a potential surprise team in the Big 12.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I didn't expect anything different. Obviously I'd rather not have given up that many points, but if our job on defense this year is to hold them to one less, then that's what we do. All we care about is every week we move forward and we win a ballgame. You've got to give it to coach (Kliff) Kingsbury. That's a lot different (Texas Tech) football team than I saw a year ago. Played all the way to the end, and you know, they about didn't come up short." -- TCU coach Gary Patterson.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 4 IN THE BIG 12:

1. TCU could be living on a borrowed time because of its defensive shortcomings. Still, QB Trevone Boykin gives the Horned Frogs a leader who never says die. He knows how to use his playmakers and did so in the clutch for a road win against much-improved Texas Tech.

2. Oklahoma State allowed touchdowns on returns of a fumble and interception by Texas, yet the Cowboys hung tough and claimed a road win in their Big 12 opener. PK Ben Grogan booted two field goals in the final 93 seconds to first tie the game and then win it and salvage a salty defensive effort.

3. Texas Tech did everything it could offensively to upset TCU, but the Red Raiders could not make a late stop as the Horned Frogs converted a tip drill for the decisive touchdown. The performance was still encouraging for Tech and also proof that Kliff Kingsbury could be on the right track as the Red Raiders coach.

4. Baylor enjoyed its best performance to date from all three units. It exceeded the 700-yard mark in total offense for the third time in as many games. The Bears rely on balance, something that goes overlooked sometimes because of the explosive capability of a passing attack led by QB Seth Russell.

5. West Virginia blew out Maryland to cap an unbeaten run through nonconference play. The Mountaineers boosted their turnover ratio to plus-10 with six interceptions, including two in the end zone to blunt Maryland opportunities. RB Wendell Smallwood is an underrated, but capable, rusher.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:21 AM

ACC Notebook: League stumbles in non-conference contests

Only one conference game has been played involving Coastal Division teams and already there are indicators that it could be another wild ride within that division.

That's because Duke upset Georgia Tech, which rated as the preseason favorite on many fronts.

A heavier dose of conference games kicks into gear in the first week of October.

The last weekend of September proved rather dismal for some ACC teams in non-conference games.

Those included home losses for Virginia (to Boise State), Syracuse (to LSU) and for Wake Forest (to Indiana). Those were all rather expected outcomes, while Virginia Tech's setback at East Carolina was another downer for the ACC in general.

The ACC's top teams -- Florida State and Clemson -- had the week off, so they'll be back in action after some rest and more time to retool certain areas.

BOSTON COLLEGE (3-1, 0-1)

Game: Boston College 17, Northern Illinois 14. QB Troy Flutie's starting debut turned out successful as he threw a touchdown pass in a home victory against a Northern Illinois team that flirted with an upset of top-ranked Ohio State a week earlier. RB Jon Hilliman rushed for 119 yards on 24 carries for the Eagles, who were content with mostly a ground attack.

Takeaway: The Eagles aren't going to be flashy, but if their defense can do the job that might stay in many games.

They would well savor the outcome against Northern Illinois much more once the season plays out and it puts them halfway to bowl eligibility.

The first collegiate start for Flutie, who's the nephew of former Boston College star Doug Flutier, is accompanied by quite a bit of fanfare.

The Eagles aren't putting too much on the younger Flutie, keeping things rather close to the vest. There were 63 rushing plays and 14 passes in the victory against Northern Illinois.

Boston College's defense might be even stronger than an initial glance at scores would indicate.

Considering that a week earlier Florida State scored a touchdown with its defense returning a turnover for a score and Northern Illinois posted a touchdown on a kickoff return, the Eagles have been particularly stingy with their defense on the field.

Next: at Duke, Oct. 3

CLEMSON (3-0, 1-0)

Game: Didn't play this week.

Takeaway: The Tigers have extra time to prepare for one of the most high-profile games in their history.

Notre Dame comes calling for the next game and it will be a much-hyped matchup between undefeated teams.

Clemson not only had an open date to prepare for the Irish, but the Tigers had two additional days because their previous game came Sept. 17 (a Thursday night).

During the idle week, Clemson welcomed back K Ammon Lakip, who had been suspended for the first three games after an arrest on drug charges in June. Lakip won't automatically be thrust into the kicking duties, but he's expected to have a chance to compete for his former position.

The Tigers might want to see what he can do with kickoffs because they were burnt for a kickoff return for a touchdown in the game with Louisville.

Next: vs. Notre Dame, Oct. 3

DUKE (3-1, 1-0)

Game: Duke 34, Georgia Tech 20. S DeVon Edwards returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and Duke held on for the home victory in its ACC opener. Running back Shaquille Powell scored on three runs for Duke (3-1), including a 30-yard, fourth-down burst with less than two minutes remaining.

Takeaway: The Blue Devils toughened up along the line of scrimmage against Georgia Tech and that aggressive play resulted in a better outcome than a week against Northwestern.

Duke had to count on its defense, holding Georgia Tech to 173 rushing yards. That could bode well in many ways because the next opponent for the Blue Devils is a run-oriented Boston College team.

Special teams were crucial to the Blue Devils. A week after they gave up a touchdown on a kickoff return, they reverse that with Edwards going the distance on a kickoff return. Duke also had a 69-yard punt return to the 1-yard line from WR Ryan Smith, setting up another touchdown.

This helped Duke overcome three turnovers. The key was that off those turnovers, Duke's defense stiffened and allowed only a pair of field goals.

It might seem strange that the defense has moved to the front for Duke. Lots of praise has been directed to S Jeremy Cash, whose abilities to assist in run support is critical for the Blue Devils.

Next: vs. Boston College, Oct. 3

FLORIDA STATE (3-0, 1-0)

Game: Didn't play this week.

Takeaway: The Seminoles haven't been awesome, but that doesn't mean it won't come in time for this group.

"It's very encouraging at the same time we're able to have success and still not play close to our potential," coach Jimbo Fisher said. "I think in time we'll grow forward into being the kind of team I think we can be."

It's still a learning process for transfer quarterback Everett Golson, but that's something that Fisher seems to accept. Fisher said there were some plays that could have been made in the Boston College game, but that overall Golson was protective of the football at some key times.

RB Dalvin Cook, the team's leading rusher, left the Boston College game on Sept. 18 with an upper-body injury but he returned to practice during the open week so there's speculation that he could be ready for the next game.

It's less likely that RB Mario Pender, who has rushed for a touchdown and gained 140 yards on the ground, will be available considering he spent time in the hospital with an apparent collapsed lung that came about through a practice injury.

With the next game at Wake Forest, the Seminoles will have half of their ACC road games out of the way after the first weekend in October. That's a nice way to enter a more stringent part of the schedule.

Next: at Wake Forest, Oct. 3

GEORGIA TECH (2-2, 0-1)

Game: Duke 34, Georgia Tech 20. RB Shaquille Powell scored on three touchdown runs for Duke, which limited the Yellow Jackets to 173 rushing yards. Georgia Tech produced only two field goals off three Duke turnovers in losing their ACC opener for only the second time in eight seasons under coach Paul Johnson.

Takeaway: The Yellow Jackets were handled along the line of scrimmage for large portions of the Duke game and that proved to be troublesome as they lost for the second week in a row and fell out of the national rankings.

Georgia Tech's offense stalls too often and that's when the rushing attack can't get untracked. More problems stem from that, with QB Justin Thomas completing only 6 of 21 passes for 143 yards in the loss to Duke.

Johnson said that Thomas appears to be frustrated by the offense's mistakes and that's adding to the pressure. Running back Patrick Skov had 75 yards on the ground, but that wasn't enough to carry the load for an offense so dependent on the rushing attack.

Perhaps equally as disturbing was coverage units on special teams, particularly with a North Carolina team next on the schedule with big-play capabilities on special teams.

Duke torched Georgia Tech with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 69-yard punt return to the 1-yard line that set up another touchdown.

Next: vs. North Carolina, Oct. 3

LOUISVILLE (1-3, 0-1)

Game: Louisville 45, Samford 3. QB Lamar Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Cardinals finally broke into the victory column by defeating Football Championship Subdivision team. Jackson's 184 rushing yards marked a school record for a quarterback.

Takeaway: The Cardinals might have some answers to their quarterback situation with Jackson taking the reins, albeit against an overmatched opponent.

But the outcome was a source of relief for the Cardinals, who went through a miserable stretch to begin the season and couldn't seem to get settled on the quarterback position and also experienced far too many defensive shortcomings.

Jackson is a dual threat at quarterback, throwing for 212 yards to go with his big rushing numbers.

Now Louisville can settle into a heavier dose of ACC competition. It begins with a game at undefeated North Carolina State, so it will mark the second unbeaten foe in the early going for the Cardinals, who've lost to Clemson.

The game also marks the first true road assignment for the Cardinals (their loss to Auburn took place in Atlanta). It's hardly the place to ease into action, particularly because Raleigh can be hostile when N.C. State is on a roll.

Louisville will be the first major-college opponent for N.C. State this year so maybe that's something that will work to the Cardinals' advantage.

Next: at N.C. State, Oct. 3

MIAMI (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Didn't play this week.

Takeaway: The Hurricanes have one more pre-ACC tune-up on the schedule and they'll be looking to make the most of their second road assignment of the season.

Miami's overtime escape against Nebraska provided plenty of fodder for the Hurricanes to consider with almost two weeks off between games. While there was so much good to assess in building a sizeable lead through three quarters, there was the fallout of falling to sustain the momentum and then needed overtime to pull out the home victory.

During the off week, the Hurricanes had an injury scare when LB Marques Gayot spent time in a hospital after a neck injury sustained in practice. The sophomore, who's bound to miss some time, has 1.5 sacks to share the team lead in that category.

Miami could be playing a Cincinnati team that's without its first-string quarterback but instead facing a backup who put up big numbers in a relief appearance during a loss at Memphis.

Next: at Cincinnati, Oct. 1

NORTH CAROLINA (3-1, 0-0)

Game: Backup QB Mitch Trubisky threw two of his four touchdown passes to WR Mack Hollins in the third quarter as the Tar Heels won their third game in a row. Trubisky completed 17 of 20 throws for 312 yards, all career highs for the redshirt sophomore.

Takeaway: North Carolina, which won for the second time in three weeks against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent, is 3-1 for the first time since 2011.

That's the easy fallout from the latest game. The question about who'll be the starting quarterback could be more complex.

Trubisky sparked an offense that wasn't rolling much in the first half and he was at the controls in the second half, when starting QB Marquise Williams was watching from the sidelines.

Trubisky was a highly recruited player and there has been clamoring from some corners to give him more of a chance.

The quality of opponents for North Carolina's pre-ACC tune-ups could come into question. Many of the defensive numbers for the Tar Heels are vastly improved, but those will be tested in a much larger way against Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech has run wild on the Tar Heels in some recent years and containing the triple-option has been a problem for North Carolina.

Next: at Georgia Tech, Oct. 3

N.C. STATE (4-0, 0-0)

Game: N.C. State 63, South Alabama 13. RB Matt Dayes ran for three touchdowns in the first quarter and the Wolfpack rolled to the road victory. TE Jaylen Samuels scored on two touchdown receptions and RB Shadrach Thornton and RB Reggie Gallaspy each ran for two touchdowns.

Takeaway: The Wolfpack had a smooth path in four pre-ACC games and those were negotiated without much trouble.

There are so many options in the backfield that QB Jacoby Brissett's efficiency might be overlooked at times. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 218 in the lopsided game with South Alabama.

Dayes has reached the 100-yard mark rushing in four consecutive games, something that hadn't been done by an N.C. State player since 1981. Thornton has been sturdy in two games after coming off a two-game suspension at the beginning of the season.

N.C. State has won its last five games away from home, something that hadn't been done in more than 40 years.

Next the Wolfpack will find out if the tune-ups for conference play provided much value. In the ACC opener against Louisville, N.C. State will face a team that has played two nationally ranked teams (Auburn and Clemson).

Next: vs. Louisville, Oct. 3

PITTSBURGH (2-1, 0-0)

Game: Didn't play this week.

Takeaway: The Panthers are coming off a hard-luck loss to Iowa, which won Sept. 19 on a 57-yard field goal.

The open week gave Pittsburgh a chance to simmer over that result, but it also was an opportunity to try to sort out the quarterback situation.

The Panthers are counting on more at the quarterback with the loss of RB James Conner to a season-ending knee injury. Without Conner there to carry a bulk of the load, Pittsburgh needs pick-me-ups in other areas.

QB Nathan Peterman, a transfer from Tennessee, made his first start for the Panthers in the Iowa game.

"We'll continue to go forward with him as the starting quarterback here," coach Pat Narduzzi said. "I think he has earned that."

Chad Voytik, the 2014 starter who began his season atop the depth chart, is the backup.

While Narduzzi's first season has gotten to a solid start with a couple of victories, the Panthers also have been generally underwhelming in doing so.

Next: at Virginia Tech, Oct. 3

SYRACUSE (3-1, 1-0)

Game: LSU 34, Syracuse 24. RB Leonard Fournette rushed for 244 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers posted a non-league road victory. Syracuse, trailing 24-17 with 10 minutes remaining, hung tough for much of the game against an undefeated foe despite using a quarterback who had been fifth on the depth chart prior to the season.

Takeaway: The Orange gave a strong showing, particularly when it looked like it might be overmatched against a Top 10 opponent.

It was a game that created some buzz for Syracuse, which needed that after some recent rough seasons. The outcome wasn't favorable, but the way the Orange put up a fight is bound to be encouraging against a team that must face Florida State and Clemson along the way in ACC divisional play.

The encouraging part for Syracuse came from QB Zach Mahoney, a junior college transfer in his first start for the Orange. Mahoney threw three touchdown passes to go with one interception.

Mahoney might be called upon to help the carry the injury-plagued offense and there were glimpses that were definitely worth noting.

The Orange has played outside of its comfort zone for most of the season because of the revolving quarterback situation. Now there will be something else to address because after four games inside the Carrier Dome it's time to hit the road.

The next game is at South Florida, which was a former Big East Conference opponent before the Orange left for the ACC.

Next: at South Florida, Oct.10

VIRGINIA (1-3, 0-0)

Game: Boise State 56, Virginia 14. The Cavaliers fell behind after the first play from scrimmage resulted in an interception returned for a Boise State touchdown and it ended up as a lopsided home loss. Virginia QB Matt Johns threw two touchdown passes and three interceptions.

Takeaway: The mistake-prone Cavaliers might appear in disarray as they go to an open week on the schedule. They had three marquee opponents in September and lost to each of them.

In the latest game against Boise State, two of the interceptions thrown by QB Matt Johns were returned for touchdowns. He finished 12 of 29 through the air.

There might not be many reasonable choices behind Johns because the quarterback position has been deserted by transfers the past few years.

Twice in the first four games, the Virginia defense has been dissected by a freshman quarterback and another time a Notre Dame backup led a fourth-quarter comeback.

The Cavaliers will have plenty to ****** during the open week. It's more time to make improvements, but also extra time to consider how the opening month went wrong.

The good news, if it can be viewed that way, is that Virginia has yet to play a league game and so the slate is clean in that regard heading into ACC competition.

Next: at Pittsburgh, Oct. 10

VIRGINIA TECH (2-2, 0-0)

Game: East Carolina 35, Virginia Tech 28. QB James Summers made his first big splash for East Carolina, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in the home victory. The Hokies had difficulty controlling a dual threat quarterback, meaning they were unable to protect an early 14-point lead.

Takeaway: The Hokies received nearly 400 yards of offense from QB Brenden Motley, but that wasn't enough in the team's rather uneven performance.

Virginia Tech hasn't been able to lock down defensively like it used to do during its more dominant days. That's might be the biggest reason for the lack of consistency across the board.

Virginia Tech gave up 408 yards of offense to an East Carolina team that had already lost twice this season and to turned to an unproven college quarterback for extensive time.

The Hokies have been on the road for back-to-back weeks, so now they begin a stretch with two ACC home games.

Last year's season fizzled because the Hokies allowed losses to multiple, so it will be interesting to see if there were lessons learned a year ago about how to deal with adversity.

If not, there would be signs of frustration that could be difficult to tame.

Next: vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 3

WAKE FOREST (2-2, 0-1)

Game: Indiana 31, Wake Forest 24. The Demon Deacons came up short on a fourth-quarter comeback, scoring the final two touchdowns of the game and then regaining possession. The last drive stalled, but at least it created some excitement on a gloomy day that was brightened at times by the play of freshman QB Kendall Hinton.

Takeaway: The starting debut for Hinton came about because of an ankle injury to QB John Wolford, who wasn't in uniform for the Indiana game.

Hinton, a true freshman, rushed for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass. This came a week after he orchestrated a winning drive against Army after Wolford departed with the injury.

The Demon Deacons didn't do enough on defense to subdue unbeaten Indiana and it figures that the defense is the area that will have to be up to snuff in order for the Demon Deacons to have much success this season.

The jolt of energy from the offense is somewhat unexpected, but it adds an element for the Demon Deacons.

The thing that could put the offense out of kilter is relying on the quarterback to be the leading rusher because that has been the trend through the first month of the season.

There's another undefeated team next on Wake Forest's schedule with the arrival of Florida State.

Next: vs. Florida State, Oct. 3

NOTES, QUOTES

--Several ACC teams have run into difficulties in non-conference games, with Virginia losing three times and Louisville and Virginia Tech falling twice to non-league opponents.

Those teams faced some stiff competition along the way.

On the flip said, other teams took different approaches. North Carolina played two Football Championship Subdivision teams in September and won both of those games.

North Carolina State made it through the month without encountering another team from a Power 5 conference. The result is a 4-0 record to take into October.

Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren liked the outcomes of those games and he's not backing off the scheduling philosophy that appears to have worked out just fine.

Doeren said he won't apologize for N.C. State's unblemished record.

"You can look across the country at the teams that scheduled in a different way that are 1-2 and 0-3," Doeren said. "Walk in their locker room right now and look at how positive they feel. I think we're doing the right things for our team."

Doeren points to the use of plenty of freshmen as one reason why the Wolfpack's schedule was appropriate.

--The ACC was without its two most high-profile teams in action for the past week. Florida State and Clemson had open dates on the final weekend of September.

So they both enter October with 3-0 records and some much stiffer competition ahead.

"I think our off week came at a pretty good time even though it's earlier (than many seasons)," Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. "Sometime you'd like them in the middle, but I think when we're at to be able to go back fundamentally and regroup and do some things and look at why we've had success, why we've had failures, get better this week, work on some future opponents."

Both teams were able to savor the time a little bit because they were coming off ACC road victories, with Clemson winning at Louisville and Florida State surviving at Boston College.

"We feel the open date has come at a good time based on where we are right now," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "We've got a lot of young guys we're still trying to grow and develop."

In many ways the next assignments for Florida State and Clemson are drastically different. Clemson has a prime-time home date with Notre Dame. Florida State visits Wake Forest.

--There have been an array of quarterback changes for ACC teams this season, but most of those have come about because of injuries.

So North Carolina's move could be the most interesting.

QB Marquise Williams was benched in the second half of an eventual romp past Delaware. That allowed QB Mitch Trubisky to excel, throwing four touchdowns.

So questions came quickly regarding the quarterback position.

"As of right now, there's no changes," Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said.

Williams and Trubisky were competing for the starting role in the 2014 preseason. That nod went to Williams, and he went on to have a productive season.

This year, he has been lacking some of the spark that he showed a year ago. His three interceptions in the opener against South Carolina largely contributed to the loss.

Still, an overhaul didn't appear in the works until the second half of the 41-14 victory against Delaware.

The timing of a potential move could be interesting because North Carolina begins ACC play with its next game at Georgia Tech.

Meanwhile, the injury bug for ACC quarterbacks has been quite detailed for teams such as Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Boston College, Wake Forest and to some extent Louisville.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think you have to give Duke credit, especially defensively. They played their tails off. I thought they were pretty good going into the game and they didn't disappoint." -- Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, whose team lost its ACC opener to Duke but the result might not be an altogether bad omen. The past two seasons, the loser of the Duke / Georgia Tech game went on to win the Coastal Division

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 4 IN THE ACC:

1. Duke looks to be relevant again within the Coastal Division, so maybe it's time it get used to that idea.

2. N.C. State roughed up four non-league opponents without facing a Power 5 team or anything close to that, so the Wolfpack will have more to prove in October.

3. If Syracuse can stick around in a game against LSU, maybe there's some hope for something to turn out OK when Orange deals with Top 10 teams such as Florida State and Clemson.

4. Virginia Tech needs to avoid a swoon. That might not be easy after two September losses before getting to the ACC portion of the schedule.

5. Virginia had a brutal non-conference schedule and it showed, with the Cavaliers going 1-3 in pre-ACC games.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:27 AM

AAC Notebook: UCF, Cincinnati continue to struggle

A pair of preseason favorites are seeing their seasons slowly slip away, while a couple of other promising squads suffered setbacks in the American Athletic Conference this week.

Cincinnati and Central Florida have been perennial contenders in the brief history of the AAC, but 2015 doesn't look like a promising campaign for either. UCF fell to 0-4 with a 31-14 loss to South Carolina, while Cincinnati now is 0-2 in the league after losing a 53-46 shootout at Memphis.

"I thought our kids improved today, but you have to play consistently for 60 minutes," UCF coach George O'Leary said. "That is what the game is about -- we did not do that. We caused our self-inflicted wounds, and that's why you lose games."

Connecticut and Southern Methodist, meanwhile, entered the week with a lot of optimism. Both were coming off tough losses against ranked teams; UConn at Missouri, SMU at TCU. But while last week's defeats could be considered a moral victory by some, there was nothing positive to take away from this weekend's losses -- especially since both came at home.

UConn dropped its AAC opener 28-18 to Navy. The defense, which had looked so good over the first three games, had no answers for Navy quarterback Keenan Robinson until it was far too late.

"We had to start fast and we didn't," linebacker Junior Joseph said. "With that type of offense, you have to settle in fast, and if you don't settle in fast you get in deep behind. When you're behind dealing with that offense it's hard to get back. It's on the defense. Totally on the defense, starting with me. I have to play better."

SMU's defeat was even more disappointing. The Mustangs fell to FCS opponent James Madison 48-45, giving up the game-winning touchdown in the final minute.

"I knew all week long that this was a very talented James Madison football team," coach Chad Morris said. "We knew coming in that they were very talented. They made the plays when they had to make them. Hats off to them. We didn't help ourselves in a lot of areas. That was very disappointing on our part."

East Carolina avoided a similar fate, ending a two-game losing streak with an impressive 35-28 victory over Virginia Tech. Houston also looked intimidating, improving to 3-0 with a 59-14 victory over Texas State.

CENTRAL FLORIDA (0-4, 0-0)

Game: South Carolina 31, Central Florida 14. The Knights jumped out to an early lead, but couldn't sustain their momentum in the second half in falling to the Gamecocks on the road. Freshman Bo Schneider threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, but also had two second-half interceptions.

Takeaway: While Central Florida led 14-8 at the half, the team couldn't match South Carolina's intensity after intermission. The Knights start conference play next week with an 0-4 record, the first time the team has started the season with a four-game losing streak since 2004.

Next: at Tulane, Oct. 3.

CINCINNATI (2-2, 0-2)

Game: Memphis 53, Cincinnati 46. Hayden Moore put up big numbers off the bench, but the redshirt freshman quarterback wasn't quite enough to knock off the Tigers. His interception with 10 seconds to play ended the last chance at a tying score.

Takeaway: Gunner Kiel left early because of injury for the second game in a row, but the bigger worry may be the defense. It has now given up more than 1,000 yards to opposing offenses over the past two games.

Next: vs. Miami, Oct. 1.

CONNECTICUT (2-2, 0-1)

Game: Navy 28, Connecticut 18. The Huskies became the latest team to fall victim to Navy's triple option attack in losing its AAC opener at home. Unlike when the Huskies knocked off Army earlier in the season, the Navy version of the offense proved too much for UConn, which kept giving up sustained drives and couldn't get off the field on third downs.

Takeaway: It was a day of missed opportunities for Connecticut, which picked up yards on offense but fell short on several key plays that would have extended drives. The Huskies, once 2-0, now have a .500 record in advanced of a tough road trip to Brigham Young this weekend.

Next: at BYU, Oct. 2.

EAST CAROLINA (2-2, 0-1)

Game: East Carolina 35, Virginia Tech 28. James Summers came off the bench in relief of Blake Kemp to lead the Pirates to victory at home. The freshman ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and also completed five of his 10 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Takeaway: Saturday's victory may have been a preview of what ECU opponents can expect the remainder of the season. With Kemp more of a dropback passer and Summers a threat to run, coach Ruffin McNeill can turn to either or both each particular week depending on matchups and the hot hand.

Next: at Southern Methodist, Oct. 3.

HOUSTON (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Houston 59, Texas State 14. Greg Ward Jr. led an explosive Houston offense to an easy victory at home. The Cougars scored 45 points in a row after Texas State tied the game at seven in the first quart

Takeaway: Texas State's defense is terrible, but it still was an impressive performance by the Houston offense. The defense, meanwhile, forced four Bobcat turnovers and took an interception 35 yards to paydirt late in the second half.

Next: at Tulsa, Oct. 3.

MEMPHIS (4-0, 1-0)

Game: Memphis 53, Cincinnati 46. The Tigers had just enough offense to emerge on top in a shootout with Cincinnati at home. After Sam Craft's three-yard touchdown run gave Memphis a seven-point lead with 53 seconds to go, Leonard Pegues picked off a Cincinnati pass to secure the win.

Takeaway: Memphis moved to 4-0 for the first time since 1961, and Paxton Lynch set a career high in passing yards for the third week in a row. With 87 points allowed over the past two games, however, the defense still has a lot of work to do if the Tigers hope to stay atop the conference standings.

Next: at South Florida, Oct. 2.

NAVY (3-0, 2-0)

Game: Navy 28, Connecticut 18. Keenan Reynolds rushed for 142 yards and three more touchdowns as the Midshipmen moved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2006 season. Navy scored on all three of its possessions in the first half.

Takeaway: The success Navy had running the football proves another indication that the rest of the American Athletic Conference may not be ready to defend it. The Huskies came into the day averaging just 126 yards on the ground allowed, a total Navy exceeded in the first half.

Next: vs. Air Force, Oct. 3.

SOUTHERN METHODIST (1-3, 0-0)

Game: James Madison 48, Southern Methodist 45. The Mustangs allowed a James Madison touchdown pass with 17 seconds left as Southern Methodist fell on Homecoming weekend. Southern Methodist had come back from 10 points down to take the lead with 2:04 to play.

Takeaway: SMU gave up 729 yards to JMU, not a great sign for a team about to head into conference play. Chad Morris will face a test early in his coaching career to get his team to refocus in time for next week's AAC opener.

Next: vs. East Carolina, Oct. 3.

SOUTH FLORIDA (1-2, 0-0)

Game: Bye Week.

Next: vs. Memphis, Oct. 2.

TEMPLE (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Bye Week.

Next: at Charlotte, Oct. 2.

TULANE (1-2, 0-0)

Game: Bye Week.

Next: at Central Florida, Oct. 3

TULSA (2-1, 0-0)

Game: Bye Week.

Next: at Houston, Oct. 3.

NOTES, QUOTES

--Southern Methodist showed some surprising spark in nonconference play, beating North Texas and playing Texas Christian tough. But a 48-45 loss to James Madison leaves Chad Morris and his squad searching for answers on the eve of its conference opener this weekend.

A team that's struggled as much as the Mustangs have in the recent past can't afford to show up against anyone without energy and focus, but that's exactly what happened on Saturday.

"I thought our energy on the sideline was atrocious. I really did," Morris said. "You're a 1-2 football team, but you've played some really good opponents and you were fixing to play another good opponent as we did tonight. We talked about it all week. We had to bring the energy. I was very disappointed."

In particular, the defense has been atrocious. The Mustangs have given up more than 500 yards of total offense in each of its three losses, and surrendered 729 against James Madison.

"We just have glaring weaknesses right now and they show up every week," coach Chad Morris said. "Obviously the quarterback run game is one of them. Stopping the pass is another."

East Carolina provides a challenge on both counts. Blake Kemp has started the first four games and is more of a dropback passer, while James Summers came off the bench and ran all over Virginia Tech in last week's victory over the Hokies.

"Our goals are still in front of us," Morris said. "We just have to find a way to keep getting better."

--Conference play agrees with Navy so far.

The Midshipmen moved to 2-0 in the American Athletic Conference -- and 3-0 overall -- with a 28-18 victory at Connecticut. It's the first time since the 2006 season that Navy has won its first three games.

And quarterback Keenan Robinson continues to lead the way. The senior ran for three more touchdowns on Saturday, giving him 73 for his career. He's tied with former Miami (Ohio) running back Travis Prentice for second in NCAA history, four in back of ex-Wisconsin tailback Monte Ball.

"His career is like our motto, one game at a time," coach KenNiumatalolo said. "What he has done is remarkable but he just continues to move to the next game. And that has to be our team's approach. We have only played three games -- it's not like we can pat ourselves on the back."

The Huskies entered the game on a roll, with two wins and a 9-6 loss at Missouri on their resume. But the UConn defense couldn't slow Robinson down, especially early in the contest.

"Anytime you are able to execute, it's a big deal," Robinson said. "Watching them on film, you can tell that's a stout defense, great tacklers. They were able to shut down a high powered Missouri offense, so watching them on film we knew it would be a challenge. We had to claw for every yard, all 11 guys."

They got enough of those yards to make another statement that they're a good bet to contend all year long.

--Ruffin McNeill has said all year that James Summers is ready to contribute at quarterback. On Saturday, the AAC got a sneak preview of how he might be able to influence the conference race the rest of the way.

Summers came off the bench in place of Blake Kemp, and Virginia Tech had no answer for his running ability. The freshman ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He also threw a touchdown pass and completed five of his 10 attempts.

"No. 1, he ran better than we tackled," Hokies head coach Frank Beamer said afterwards. "He's got ability. When you put him with the throwing guy [Kemp], it's a tough thing to prepare for. We had him several times then missed a tackle. And like I said, he ran better than we tackled."

Kemp himself went 9 for 12 for 118 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He also scored on a three-yard run. The combination of a passing quarterback like Kemp and a running one like Summers suddenly makes the Pirates an intimidating team to defend.

"I thought both of them helped win the game," ECU coach Ruffin McNeill said. "I thought both of them, like their team, stayed dedicated to our mission, and our vision, and our team concept. I'm proud of both of them."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We still have some things we need to fix. This week, we need to prepare harder, because Tulsa had two weeks to prepare for us. We just have to come out ready on Monday to practice and the rest of the week." -- Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr., as his team prepares to open AAC play.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 4 IN THE AAC:

1. Navy's Keenan Robinson had three more rushing touchdowns against Connecticut, giving him 73 for his career. That ties him for second on the NCAA list with Travis Prentice, four behind Monte Ball.

2. Cincinnati's Gunner Kiel left early with an injury for the second game in a row. This time, it was a neck injury that saw him carried off on a brace. X-rays proved negative, but his status for the Miami game this week is unclear.

3. Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson announced that he'll retire at the end of the spring semester. He's been in that position since 2000, so it'll be interesting to see what effect a new AD has on the direction the football program takes going forward.

4. Houston's strong start is drawing attention from sports stars in the city. James Harden and Ty Lawson of the Houston Rockets both were on the sidelines for Saturday's rout of Texas State.

5. Paxton Lynch now has set new career highs in passing yards for three consecutive weeks. He threw for 412 in Thursday's victory over Cincinnati.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:31 AM

First and 20: Trio of marquee matchups shakes up Pac-12

With three key late-night games, the Pac-12 race was going to begin to show some clarity on Saturday. It did. Just not in the way you probably thought it would.

Arizona State, thought by some to be College Football Playoff timber before the season, suffered its second loss, this one a no-doubt-about-it 42-14 gaffe-fest at home vs. USC.

Arizona, ranked 16th with its feet firmly on the national stage with ESPN's "College GameDay" in town, scurried back into the darkness when its defense proved to be tissue-soft in a 56-30 loss to UCLA.

But the stunner came from Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Utah 62, Oregon 20.

The Ducks, who have played in two of the past five national championship games, are out of the national race at the end of September. Who saw that coming?

Let it sink in one more time: 62-20.

The 42-point loss was Oregon's worst since losing to Arizona State 59-14 on Oct. 11, 2003. The Ducks hadn't given up that many points since yielding 63 to Nebraska 30 years ago.

"To put that many points on a team like Oregon is unheard of," said Utah quarterback Travis Wilson.

Yeah. Especially by the Utes.

Utah has been more of a grinder than point-a-minute juggernaut, but it's time to take the 4-0 Utes seriously. Their opening win over Michigan looks better and better ever week, given how Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines have played since. Utah is one of three unbeaten teams in the Pac-12, UCLA and Cal being the others.

And Stanford, after looking awful in an opening loss at Northwestern, is bringing the hammer again and looking like the new favorite in the Pac-12 North.

The Cardinal have a win at USC in their pocket, but the Trojans bounced back nicely Saturday night in Tempe, showing off their ridiculous playmaking sophomore talent with receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and receiver Adoree' Jackson, who saw more time on offense while still double-dipping as a starting cornerback.

The Pac-12 is arguably the deepest league in the nation (deal with it, SEC), so the cannibalization as conference play heats up is not a surprise. The Pac-12, with its nine-game conference schedule, still might end up knocking itself out of the College Football Playoff.

Can UCLA survive three key season-ending injuries on defense, including to linebacker Myles Jack? Can USC further avoid the puzzling stumbles that have marked every recent season? Can Stanford and Utah, teams that pride themselves on being physical, continue to muster game-changing offense every week? And Cal lurks, boosted by high first-round quarterback Jared Goff, but its toughest challenges -- by far -- are all ahead.

It could be that further Pac-12 clarity will only reveal parity.

10 things we think we learned in Week 4

1. Michigan didn't take long to get up to speed. Quarterback Jake Rudock is turning the ball over too much, but he continue to settle in. Meanwhile, there is a lot to like about a defense that pitched a shutout against BYU as the Wolverines moved to 3-1 under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. The defensive line is a strength, safety Jabrill Peppers is a rising star, and that gives Michigan a chance against anybody.

2. Tennessee isn't over the hump. The Vols led Florida by 13 points with about 10 minutes left but lost 28-27, their 11th consecutive loss to the Gators. Pair this defeat with blowing a similar late lead against Oklahoma, and that's when you get fans invoking the name of Derek Dooley when cursing about coach Butch Jones.

3. Arkansas isn't over the hump either. The Hogs fell in overtime 28-21 to visiting Texas A&M, marking the 13th consecutive loss in a one-possession game for Arkansas coach Bret Bielema. How is that even possible?

4. UCLA running back Paul Perkins really is underrated. He was the Pac-12 rushing champ last season but didn't make either first or second-team all-conference. He's faster than he looks, plays bigger than he looks, and it's nearly incomprehensible that he gained only 85 yards on 24 carries vs. Arizona, because the Wildcats never corralled him with their initial effort.

5. Maybe Ohio State's schedule isn't that bad. OK, it still is. But the Buckeyes will be heading into an unexpected potential Bloomington buzzsaw this week against an Indiana team that is 4-0 for the first time since 1990. Be advised to know the name of Hoosiers running back Jordan Howard, a transfer from UAB.

6. Dino Babers will be in demand. Bowling Green's second-year head coach, running a tempo attack learned while at Baylor, has directed the Falcons to wins over Maryland and Purdue. The combination of his offense and personality would lead to being a good fit at, let's say, Illinois.

7. Memphis is a good show. Led by quarterback Paxton Lynch, the Tigers are 4-0, scoring at least 44 points in each game and they will push toward being the Group of 5 representative in the elite bowls. Circle an Oct. 17 home game against Ole Miss as can't-miss (but also make room to catch road games at Tulsa, Houston and Temple). Sneaky-fun entertainment.

8. TCU can't hang on much longer. The tipped-pass touchdown to beat Texas Tech was great theater, but the defense is just too decimated to survive the season. "Lucky in Lubbock" can't last against Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and others in a Big 12 that looks up for grabs.

9. Rich Rodriguez has a Jim Mora problem. Rodriguez has done a lot of good in three-plus seasons at Arizona, but beating Mora and UCLA is not one of them. RichRod is 0-4 against Mora, losing by a combined 170-73.

10. If you don't feel bad for Texas, you don't have a heart. Nobody cries a river when a national powerhouse loses its way, but the manner of the Horns' past two losses -- a missed PAT that would have tied the game vs. Cal, a dropped punt snap that led to a game-losing field goal against Oklahoma State -- has to make you a little bit heart-sick for the kids involved.

Five top Heisman candidates

1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU. He is averaging 210.3 yards per game against a legit schedule, about 42 more yards per game than anybody in the country. Best college runner since Adrian Peterson? Sounds right.

2. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia. Has the talent. Needs a showcase game. Hello, Alabama. Doing work against the Tide defensive front is the degree of difficulty Chubb needs to challenge Fournette.

3. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU. He's heating up, and he'll have to with the Frogs' defense ailing. Boykin threw for a career-best 509 yards in the wild 55-52 win at Texas Tech.

4. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M. He came up with a big sack and forced fumble late in regulation vs. Arkansas. With 6.5 sacks, he's the clubhouse leader as best defender in the country.

5. Cody Kessler, QB, USC. He threw for five touchdown passes in the win at Arizona State, and he now has a TD-to-interception ratio of 15-to-1. His passing efficiency rating of 201.2 trails only Baylor's Seth Russell.

Five best Week 5 games

1. Alabama at Georgia (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET). We'll see how the betting line moves during the week, but Alabama's 72-game streak of being favored could end against the Dawgs.

2. Notre Dame at Clemson (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET). The last time the Irish played at Clemson, it was 1977 and Joe Montana led Notre Dame to a 21-17 win en route to the national title. This, too, has championship implications.

3. Mississippi State at Texas A&M (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET). In a key SEC West game, what will Aggies true freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk do next?

4. Baylor at Texas Tech (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.). Welcome to the college football season, Baylor. The Bears' first test comes against a fiery Red Raiders team that won at Arkansas and came within a tipped pass of toppling TCU.

5. Ole Miss at Florida (7 p.m.). The Gators are 4-0. An ugly 4-0, but 4-0. Enjoy it while you can? Florida's October includes three current top 10 teams (Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia), as well as a game at Missouri.

NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review

Analyst Rob Rang's five prospect takeaways for this week. Players listed including position, school, year (height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).

5. WR Demarcus Robinson, Florida, 6-1, 197, Jr. (#44 overall prospect, #4 WR eligible in 2016): The wideout was inconsistent in fighting through press coverage against Tennessee, lined up incorrectly on a snap and saw an easy pass slip through his fingers -- precisely the type of lapses in concentration that has kept the clearly gifted Robinson in coach Jim McElwain's dog house this season. Robinson has averaged just 7.65 yards on 20 catches this season.

4. RB Devontae Booker, Utah, 5-11, 212, Sr. (#76, #4 RB): Booker ripped off 146 all-purpose yards against Oregon. He sports a compact, powerful build and runs even heavier than he looks, frequently breaking tackles due to his low center of gravity, good forward lean and impressive leg drive. He's also a terrific receiver out of the backfield, showing excellent body control to adjust his frame, secure the ball and head upfield in one fluid motion.

3. CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida, 5-11, 198 (#7, #2): Despite Florida's dramatic comeback, the projected Top 10 pick built on concerns about his undisciplined tackling and failing to close his arms around opponents on multiple plays. His struggles may have been impacted by a back injury suffered early in the game.

2. DE Ron Thompson, Syracuse, 6-3, 255, Jr. (#33 DE in class of 2017): Thompson spent much of Saturday's game working against LSU LT Jerald Hawkins, but it was his sack working against top prospect RT Vadal Alexander that will grab the attention of NFL scouts. In just his fourth start at end, the former tight end showed a quick initial burst upfield before hesitating and threatening a counter back inside before exploding around Alexander. Stringing moves together is precisely what scouts hoped to see in Thompson's development.

1. QB Travis Wilson, Utah, 6-7, 233, Sr. (#369, #22): Playing through a sprained non-throwing shoulder, the oft-injured Wilson displayed impressive accuracy in the blowout victory over Oregon. He showed the velocity and accuracy to hit quick slants as well as terrific touch on fades, deep balls and short passes to the flat. Despite noticeably attempting to protect his shoulder while running, Wilson repeatedly made big plays with his legs, rushing six times for 100 yards.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:34 AM

NCAAF Opening Line Report: Georgia opens as home fave versus Alabama

On a week-to-week basis in college football, it’s pretty hard to overlook the Southeastern Conference. With half a dozen teams or more ranked in the top 25, once conference play gets rolling, there’s almost assuredly a big game every Saturday in the SEC.

Week 5 is no different, with a key clash pitting Alabama (3-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) against Georgia (4-0 SU, 2-2 ATS) between the hedges in Athens, Ga.

The Crimson Tide, perennial national title contenders of late, can ill afford another SEC loss, having opened conference play with a 43-37 home loss laying 9 points against Mississippi on Sept. 19. Alabama stepped out of conference to recover, blowing out Louisiana-Monroe 34-0 Saturday as a hefty 37.5-point home favorite Saturday.

The Bulldogs have four blowouts to their credit and, like ‘Bama, went out of conference Saturday in a 48-6 home rout of Southern, falling just short as a massive 48.5-point chalk. Georgia is already 2-0 in the SEC (1-1 ATS), topping host Vanderbilt 31-14 giving 17.5 points and thumping South Carolina 52-20 as a 16-point home fave.

Johnny Avello, Wynn Las Vegas Executive Director of Race and Sports, installed Georgia as a 1.5-point favorite for this meeting.

“It’s been quite some time since the Tide were an underdog. How about 2009!” Avello told Covers. “I believe their opponent here is a formidable football team, but there will always be doubts until we get through the opening soft schedule. This contest will help sort out where both of these teams should stand. It’s a strong home field for Georgia, which has won at an 80 percent clip in Athens over the past 10 years.”

Baylor Bears (-15) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders

As was the case last year, these instate Big 12 rivals will square off on a neutral field, playing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Last year, the Bears – tabbed a 26.5-point chalk – held off a Red Raiders rally to notch a 48-46 victory.

Baylor (3-0 SU, 1-1 ATS), just barely on the outside looking in to make the first college football playoff in 2014, steamed Rice on Saturday 70-17 as a 33-point road favorite.

Texas Tech (3-1 SU, 3-0-1 ATS) is facing its second top-five opponent in as many weeks. The Red Raiders will be looking to bounce back after falling just short in an upset bid of Texas Christian. Tech gave up a fluke deflected TD pass in the waning seconds of a 55-52 loss, cashing as a 5-point pup Saturday.

“Tech matched scores with TCU, but just ran out of time,” Avello said. “Now they play even more of an aggressive foe. Baylor has crazy numbers, compiling over 2,000 total yards in the first three games. The question for me is: How high do I make this total – 85, 87 or higher?”

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Clemson Tigers (-1.5)

The Fighting Irish (4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS), who in the first two weeks of the season lost their starting running back and starting quarterback, continue to hold it together with duct tape and rubber bands. Notre Dame got a bit of a breather Saturday against visiting Massachusetts, rolling 62-27 as a 28.5-point fave.

The Tigers (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) should be rested and ready, coming off a bye after edging Louisville 20-17 laying 5 points. But in a battle of top-10 teams, Notre Dame is a big step up for Clemson, which faced Wofford and Appalachian State in its first two games.

“One of these teams’ aspirations for a national championship may dissolve when the final gun sounds for this clash,” Avello said. “Clemson’s first two wins were gimmes, and the Tigers were fortunate to escape against Louisville, as their offensive line collapsed the entire game.

“This is a very strong home-field advantage for the Tigers, who have lost only twice at home in the past four years, but I’ll be cautious against making this number too high against a dangerous Irish team.”

Arizona Wildcats at Stanford Cardinal

Stanford (3-1 SU and ATS) stumbled in its season opener, with 10-point home dog Northwestern pinning a 16-6 loss on the Cardinal. But Stanford has rebounded with three consecutive wins and covers, including back-to-back Pac-12 road wins – a 41-31 upset of Southern Cal catching 9.5 points and a 42-24 victory at Oregon State last Thursday giving 14 points.

Arizona (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) is facing another well-regarded foe after getting run right off its home field Saturday night by UCLA. The Wildcats tumbled 56-30 as a 1-point underdog, and QB Anu Solomon left the game in the second quarter after taking a shot to the head. With his status uncertain, Avello hasn’t posted a line yet.

“Now that it appears that Stanford is back on track, this doesn’t look like the most enviable spot for Arizona,” Avello said. “One positive note for the Wildcats is they can run the football and possibly maintain ball possession. Stanford had the advantage of playing last Thursday and gets a little more preparation time, along with a bye the following week. A full effort here is expected.”

**StarDust Bum** · 09-28-2015, 03:44 AM

SEC Notebook: Nail-biters becoming the norm

INSIDE SLANT

It was only the last weekend of the first month of the season, but Saturday's five conference clashes had the feel of crucial November match-ups.

Or maybe that is just becoming the norm in the SEC these days.

In what could be considered the Game of the Day, Florida extended its winning streak over East Division colleague Tennessee to 11 in a row by rallying for two fourth quarter touchdowns, then escaping with the 28-27 victory when a Volunteer field goal attempt just missed wide right on the game's final play.

"I don't know if we deserved it or not," coach Jim McElwain said after his Gators converted four fourth down situations on their final two drives. "But I prefer it this way. It was pretty cool, wasn't it?"

The victory not only continued the Gators' domination of the Vols, it also got them off to a 2-0 start in conference play with games against Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU, and Georgia filling out their October card.

For the Vols, it was a devastating defeat for a team many made a trendy pick in the division race.

"Well, obviously, they all hurt," Vols coach Butch Jones said of the loss. "Everybody hurts, especially, the ones that invested in every single day and put so much into it.

"But I know we have great character in our football program and you want them to hurt. But then we have to come back and get ready for Arkansas and it is a long, long football season. You have to keep that in mind."

The four other SEC contests had their own distinctive appeal.

Texas A&M rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to defeat Arkansas 28-21 in overtime for a second straight year. The Aggies needed a late touchdown and two-point conversion and had to overcome the disappointment of a missed field goal on the final play of regulation to notch the win in OT.

Mississippi State beat Auburn for the third time in four years, shutting down the Tigers without a touchdown for a 17-9 victory.

"We're back where we want to be," Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said. "We're back in the race."

Kentucky got a big game out of quarterback Patrick Towles to pin two-time defending East champion Missouri with a 21-13 loss in its conference opener.

It probably ranks as coach Mark Stoops' biggest win in his three-year tenure at Kentucky, but he wasn't going to say it.

"It's very important because of where we want to go, and we feel like we have got a better football team," Stoops said. "We're not there yet. We're just getting better and better."

Finally, Mississippi avoided what would have been one of its more disappointing setbacks by hanging on to beat Vanderbilt 27-16 for its second SEC win.

"We need to celebrate, but learn from the things we didn't do well," Rebels coach Hugh Freeze said. "If we want to be elite we have to prepare like we are an elite football team.

"We had an awful Wednesday at practice. Tuesday was OK. We need leadership in the locker room to help us with that, for sure."

ALABAMA (3-1, 0--1)

Game: Alabama 34, Louisiana-Monroe 0. Bama's defense dominated this one, limiting the visiting Warhawks to just nine yards rushing and 92 yards in total offense. The Crimson Tide led only 14-0 at the half, however, and managed only 303 yards of offense with just 137 on the ground and 166 passing as QB Jake Coker was only 17-of-33 for 158 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.

Takeaway: The shutout was Alabama's 10th since coach Nick Saban took over the program in 2007, drawing his praise. "We played with a lot of toughness, especially on defense," Saban said. "To give a team around 90 yards is really good. I thought we tackled well in space and we got a couple turnovers. We did a good job on third down, especially in the first half and that was really positive." But the offense, which had the one turnover and converted only two of 13 third down situations, left something to be desired. "We stopped ourselves way too many times," Saban said. "We had five dropped balls, and several of those were on third downs. On fourth-and-one, we eliminated the first down with an illegal motion, so we're going to need to clean up some of things."

Next: At Georgia, Oct. 3.

ARKANSAS (1-3, 0-1)

Game: Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 21 (OT). The Razorbacks held an eight-point lead with just over four minutes left in regulation and had the Aggies backed up at their own 15-yard line, but not only couldn't they keep the Aggies from reaching the end zone, they also gave up a two-point conversion to send the game into overtime. The Hogs, who couldn't answer A&M's touchdown in the extra period, were actually fortunate to get the game into the extra period when QB Brandon Allen's fumble gave the Aggies the ball at Arkansas' 41-yard line, but A&M's Taylor Bertolet was wide right on a 38-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the regulation.

Takeaway: Apparently, the worst thing the Razorbacks can do against the Aggies is take a lead into the fourth quarter. After losing in overtime last year despite leading by 14 in the final quarter, the Hogs let an eight-point advantage get away in this year's meeting. Senior QB Brandon Allen had a big night overall, going 20-of-25 passing for 225 yards with one touchdown and one interception. But the pick came deep in A&M territory, denying the Razorbacks the chance for points and, to compound the mistake, it led to an Aggies' field goal. Allen also coughed up a fumble on his final series of regulation that put the Aggies in position for what could have been a winning field goal, but it missed. His final pass on fourth down in overtime was knocked away. "I think he has felt the weight of the world coming on him," coach Bret Bieleman said of Allen in the Arkansas News Bureau. "He is a kid that puts everything into it."

Next: At Tennessee, Oct. 3.

AUBURN (2-2, 0-2)

Game: Mississippi State 17, Auburn 9. Auburn outgained the visitors with 389 yards in total offense to 326 for the Bulldogs, but couldn't get the ball into the end zone. The Tigers settled for field goal attempts after having drives stopped at State's 9, 13, 7, and 34-yard lines, making three of them.

Takeaway: Redshirt freshman Sean White had solid numbers in his first collegiate start, completing 20-of-28 passes for 188 yards and recording runs of 31, 13, and 11 yards, but he also was sacked four times and threw an interception. "Overall, I thought he did a solid job for his first college experience, period," coach Gus Malzahn said. "He did some good things and he made a mistake or two. We thought he would make a mistake or two. Any time you're playing an SEC opponent, especially in the West, and you've got a guy making his first start, there are going to be some mistakes. But I think everyone saw that he competed. He did some good stuff, and he's a competitor." Malzahn stopped short of committing to White as the starter over junior Jeremy Johnson for the next game, however."I think I did OK," White said. "I think I did some good things, but at the end of the day, you want to win."

Next: Vs. San Jose State, Oct. 3.

FLORIDA (4-0, 2-0)

Game: Florida 28, Tennessee 27. Redshirt freshman QB Will Grier engineered two long drives, one covering 86 yards and the other 59 officially, in the final 10 minutes to rally the Gators from a 27-14 deficit. Grier was 11-of-18 for 141 yards and two touchdowns combined in the two drives, and WR Antonio Callaway got the decisive score with 1:26 left on his dash down the sideline with his fifth reception of the game.

Takeaway: Maybe the Gators should skip their first three downs on offense and go directly to fourth down. They were 5-for-5 on fourth down conversions against Tennessee, making them good on all 10 of their attempts this season. Four of the conversions came on their final two drives, the last on Callaway's decisive touchdown reception on which he turned a 15-yard reception into a 63-yard scoring play."We were calm, cool, and collected," Grier said. "It's something we 'repped' in practice and plays we felt comfortable with that we could execute. Guys stepped up and made big plays, and that's what you've got to do sometimes if you want to be an elite athlete. So I'm proud of the way our guys played and really handled those situations."

Next: Vs. Mississippi, Oct. 3.

GEORGIA (4-0, 2-0)

Game: Georgia 48, Southern 6. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead and then put the game away with a 28-point outburst in the third quarter. They amassed 532 yards in total offense with a nice balance of 261 rushing and 271 passing while holding their FCS opponent to 184 yards in total offense.

Takeaway: Sophomore RB Nick Chubb got off to a slow start with just 31 yards rushing in the first half but capped that off with 100 more in the second half with 49 coming on his second touchdown run of the afternoon. It is the 12th consecutive game he has topped the 100-yard mark rushing, one shy of Herschel Walker's program record of 13 set over the 1980 and '81 seasons. "It is truly an honor to be mentioned with him," Chubb said. "Herschel Walker -- that's what you hear about when you think Georgia football." Coach Mark Richt said he had to challenge his offensive line at halftime after the Bulldogs rushed for only a net 29 yards in the first half. "Our backs were slamming into trash," he said. "There was no space. We weren't controlling the line like we're used to. Once we got space for the backs, good things happened. The whole key was when the line took over."

Next: Vs. Alabama, Oct. 3.

KENTUCKY (3-1, 1-1)

Game: Kentucky 21, Missouri 13. The Wildcats held the visiting Tigers to just 111 yards rushing and harassed QB Maty Mauk into a 15-of-30 passing night in posting their first win over a ranked team since beating South Carolina in 2010, ending a 19-game losing streak to Top 25 opponents. The Tigers were ranked 25th coming into the game with a 3-0 record but added only two field goals after scoring their lone touchdown in the first quarter.

Takeaway: A week after a horrible performance in the loss to Florida, junior QB Patrick Towles bounced back with one of the finest nights of his career. He was 22-of-27 passing for 249 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. In the first quarter, he even engineered a first down out of a first-and-29 situation, completing a 28-yard pass to WR Garrett Johnson on second-and-18, and capped the resulting drive with a 14-yard touchdown run. "I was telling the team in there that I'm pretty stingy with game balls," coach Mark Stoops said of Towles, "but I think he deserved one tonight." Towles was coming off an 8-for-24 performance against the Gators. "A lot went into preparing for the game tonight," Towles said. "And coach and I tweaked something with my throwing motion, and I felt I was more accurate."

Next: Vs. Eastern Kentucky, Oct. 3.

LSU (3-0, 2-0)

Game: LSU 34, Syracuse 24. The victory wasn't quite as comfortable as the double-digit margin might suggest as the Tigers led only 7-3 at the half and just 24-17 with just over 12 minutes left after the Orange took only seven plays to go 56 yards and whittle the difference down to one score. Sophomore RB Leonard Fournette had another huge game with 244 yards on 26 rushes and also had an 87-yard touchdown run called back late in the third quarter because the Tigers had too many men in the backfield.

Takeaway: The Tigers made life difficult for themselves with critical mistakes, mostly in the form of officials' flags. They were penalized 14 times for 120 yards with at least one -- the illegal formation call that negated Fournette's run -- costing them points. "I'm frustrated that we are not a little bit better and that we haven't been able to eliminate some of those penalties," said coach Les Miles, whose team ranked 96th in the country in penalty yardage going into the day at 69 yards per game. "That's something I take personally." The penalties negated much of the 425-to-281 advantage the Tigers enjoyed in total offense yardage.

Next: Vs. Eastern Michigan, Oct. 3.

MISSISSIPPI (4-0, 2-0)

Game: Mississippi 27, Vanderbilt 16. Coming off the big win over Alabama, Ole Miss looked ripe for an upset when the visiting Commodores pulled even at 13-13 midway through the third quarter. But sophomore Cale Luke blocked a punt that the Rebels were able to cash in for a touchdown and the Rebels got several big runs out of senior RB Jaylen Walton (133 yards rushing) on the fourth quarter drive for the clincher.

Takeaway: A loss to Vandy certainly would have been a huge downer coming just one week after the win at Alabama. The Rebels struggled trying to find their way offensively and twice needed the help of penalties to score points after having first-and-goal situations inside Vandy's five-yard line. Even then they had to settle for a field goal after having first-and-goal at Vandy's one-yard line. "We did not have our team prepared as well, especially in some critical areas, such as third downs and red zones," coach Hugh Freeze said. "We scored some points there, but we need to get more efficient." Walton made the difference on the final touchdown drive, accounting for 42 of the 80 yards, including the last three for the score. "That's what I'm here to do, is to make big plays for my team," he said. "It just comes in handy in those types of moments to win big games."

Next: At Florida, Oct. 3.

MISSISSIPPI STATE (3-1, 1-1)

Game: Mississippi State 17, Auburn 9. Senior QB Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes on a 270-yard night and State's defense made those scores and a 44-yard field goal from sophomore PK Westin Graves stand up for the victory. The Bulldogs allowed the Tigers 201 yards on the ground, but made key plays on third down situations to deny them a trip to the end zone.

Takeaway: With both teams having lost their conference openers to LSU, this was seen as somewhat of an "elimination" game in the West race. State's defense came up big in the red zone, holding the Tigers to just two field goals on four trips inside of State's 10-yard line, coming up with an interception on third-and-three at the five-yard line on the Tigers' first venture. The Tigers also missed a field goal after a bad snap set them back eight yards on third-and-goal from the one-yard line. "I thought our defense played unbelievably well," coach Dan Mullen said. "Lot of talented players on that Auburn team. Keeping them out of the end zone for the night was fantastic." Prescott threw a touchdown pass for the 18th consecutive game, second-longest active streak among FBS programs (TCU's Travis Boykin leads with 19). Prescott also ran his streak of passes without an interception to 191 attempts, longest current active streak in the SEC and sixth all-time in the conference.

Next: At Texas A&M, Oct. 3.

MISSOURI (3-1, 0-1)

Game: Kentucky 21, Missouri 13. The Tigers never could get much of anything going offensively, rushing for just 111 yards and adding only two field goals to their first-quarter touchdown over the final three periods. The defense allowed the Wildcats just 369 yards, but couldn't come up with a stop after closing to within one score after getting a field goal from PK Andrew Baggett with three minutes left in the game.

Takeaway: Injuries have been the most prominent feature of Mizzou's season so far. Senior RB Russell Hansbrough has been limited by an ankle injury since the opener and managed only 11 yards on six carries in a futile comeback attempt against the Wildcats. The Tigers then had three starters go out against Kentucky, including a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in LB Kentrell Brothers in the third quarter. Coach Gary Pinkel didn't know their status immediately after the game. "I really don't," he said. "I just know that they all left the game. It's going to happen. It has never happened to me before, but if you coach long enough, it's going to happen sooner or later and tonight it just did. You have to overcome it, bottom line you do. I don't know the status of any of them as far as next week."

Next: Vs. South Carolina, Oct. 3.

SOUTH CAROLINA (2-2, 0-2)

Game: South Carolina 31, UCF 14. The Gamecocks took command of the game with a 20-point third quarter ignited by two interceptions by junior LB T.J. Holloman. The Gamecocks cashed in on Holloman's first pick for a 40-yard touchdown drive and 22-14 lead and his second for a 54-yard march that gave the Gamecocks a 28-14 cushion heading into the final quarter.

Takeaway: True freshman QB Lorenzo Nunez passed for 184 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 123 yards on 18 rushes in his first collegiate start. "I think he played a little better than we all anticipated," coach Steve Spurrier said. "We knew he could run, but he hit a bunch of passes." Nunez had a 35-yard touchdown pass to WR Pharoh Cooper and a 13-yarder to WR Jacob August in the Gamecocks' third quarter outburst. "He's a gamer," Spurrier said. "I think we learned that." Said Nunez: "I just wanted to go out there and see what I could do. I think I did a pretty good job. I did way better in the second half, I think. In the first half I was a little shaky."

Next: At Missouri, Oct. 3.

TENNESSEE (2-2, 0-1)

Game: Florida 28, Tennessee 27. The Vols seemed to have things under control when sophomore RB Jalen Hurd scored on a 10-yard run with 10:19 left in the game, putting them up by two touchdowns, but a defense that had dominated the Gators up to that point gave up an 86-yard drive and a 63-yard pass play on Florida's last two possessions. Even then, the Vols had a chance to pull out the win but sophomore PK Aaron Medley's 55-yard field goal attempt was barely wide right as time ran out.

Takeaway: Coach Butch Jones' decision to kick the extra point after Tennessee's last touchdown, leaving the Vols just up by 13 points with just over 10 minutes left, will be the hot topic of the week around Knoxville water coolers, but had the Vols been able to get just one fourth down stop on Florida's last two series, the decision not to go for two wouldn't have mattered. The Vols let the Gators escape four times on fourth down plays on their last two drives, the last resulting in the decisive 63-yard touchdown reception. "Particularly when it is fourth-and-long, fourth-and-13, you have got to close the game out," Jones said. "You have got to get off the field and run victory formation, milking the clock and the game is over.

Next: Vs. Arkansas, Oct. 3.

TEXAS A&M (4-0, 2-0)

Game: Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 21 (OT). Sophomore QB Kyle Allen passed for a career-high 358 yards and led the Aggies on a five-play, 85-yard scoring drive late in regulation, capping it with a pass for a two-point conversion, to send the game into overtime. He then found true freshman WR Christian Kirk for a 20-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the extra period for the victory.

Takeaway: The win marked the second straight season the Aggies have rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Razorbacks in overtime. Last year they overcame a two-touchdown deficit. This year they needed a late touchdown and two-point conversion to even up the score in the closing minutes. "I thought the look in their eyes late in the fourth quarter and the overtime was one of confidence," coach Kevin Sumlin said of his Aggies. "And I hadn't seen that in a while on this team." Kirk continued to star for the Aggies with his 173 receiving yards on eight catches giving him his third triple-digit receiving game in four outings. He has 442 yards receiving for the season.

Next: Vs. Mississippi State, Oct. 3.

VANDERBILT (1-3, 0-2)

Game: Mississippi 27, Vanderbilt 16. Sophomore QB Johnny McCrary was 23-of-42 passing for 194 yards and a touchdown against no interceptions and sophomore RB Ralph Webb rushed for 90 yards as the Commodores threatened to spoil the Rebels' post-Alabama party, pulling into a 13-13 tie midway through the third quarter. But the Commodores had a punt blocked and missed a field goal after that which led to Ole Miss touchdowns and let the Rebels off the hook.

Takeaway: Coach Derek Mason was having none of the "nice try" accolades after his team nearly pulled off the stunner of the day. "I tell my guys there is never any solace in that," Mason said. "We play the game to win. We came here to win. We came up a little short. We will look at this game and what we did, and the things we did not get done." But he did see good things from the Commodores' performance. They won the turnover battle 2-0 with a pair of interceptions and didn't turn the ball over themselves, though it can be argued that the blocked punt, which gave the Rebels the ball at Vandy's 20-yard line, was the same as a turnover. "This team is going to continue to fight," Mason said of his 'Dores. "We are going to continue to get better. Teams are not going to want to see us in October and November. I can tell you that. This team has a lot of pride."

Next: At Middle Tennessee State, Oct. 3

NOTES, QUOTES

--Tennessee coach Butch Jones said he had a "number of reasons" not to go for the two-point conversion after the Vols scored their final touchdown with 10:19 left in their game at Florida Saturday.

By kicking the PAT, the Vols were left holding only a 13-point lead, 27-14, and when the Gators scored two touchdowns in the remaining time, they were able to get their 28-27 victory by simply kicking the extra points.

"We were discussing that prior to the drive, if we did score whether we go for one or two," Jones said. "We have a chart that is pretty standard in football first of all and maps it all."

Jones said he and his coaches had confidence that Tennessee's defense would be able to stop the Gators. After all, they had done so all day, holding the Gators to just 247 yards in total offense to that point of the game.

"So we felt very comfortable with the decision," Jones said.

But just as in the loss to Oklahoma two weeks earlier, Tennessee's defense couldn't hold onto a two-touchdown fourth quarter lead and ended up with the loss.

--Forget 100-yard rushing games. LSU sophomore running back Leonard Fournette has stepped it up with consecutive 200-yard games after rushing for 248 yards in the Tigers' 34-24 victory at Syracuse. It follows the 228-yard effort the previous week against Auburn, the first time in school history LSU has had a running back go over the 200-yard mark in back-to-back games.

It could have been a 300-yard game against the Orange because he had a 87-yard run called back for an illegal formation penalty, which had nothing to do with what would have been his third touchdown dash to go with his 62 and 14-yard scores. He had one play where he turned a potential sack into a 48-yard gain after taking a desperate pitch just before QB Brandon Harris hit the turf.

After the game Fournette had the opportunity to meet one of Syracuse's all-time great running backs, Floyd Little.

"I just told him it was an honor to meet him," Fournette said. "He's one of the legends, one of the first running backs. He's a legend."

What did Little, who along with former Syracuse backs Ernie Davis and Jim Brown, forms one of college football's greatest trio of running backs have to say?

"He told me I did a great job and he was going to continue to pray for my success," Fournette said. "I looked him up and Jim Brown up. They were greats.

"Syracuse started Running Back U. It's a great tradition here. Who wouldn't want to come here just looking up to these guys?"

--After setting an NCAA, SEC, and school record for completion percentage a week ago with his 24-of-25 performance (96.0 percent) against South Carolina, Georgia QB Greyson Lambert continued his hot streak in the 48-6 rout of Southern.

He completed his first two attempts to push his streak of completions to 22 in a row, a school record, and ended the game 9-of-10 for 146 yards and two touchdowns in an abbreviated performance.

"I haven't really done anything differently," said Lambert, who was 19-of-33 passing in his first two games. "I have just kept playing.

"Bad things are going to happen, and good things are going to happen. You have to keep playing and put those things behind you."

--Texas A&M is used to running off a bunch of plays in a game, having averaged 78 runs and passes through its first three outings. But Arkansas managed to control the clock with a rushing game that produced 232 yards, and the Aggies ran only 20 times and passed only 28 in their 28-21 overtime victory.

"They played a game in which we had to be efficient with our drives, and we weren't," Sumlin said of the Razorbacks. "We scored points, but we did not score touchdowns.

"We had 16 plays in the first half, 48 plays for the whole game. In a game like that when possessions become a premium, points become a premium. In particular, the fact we didn't finish off drives with touchdowns instead of field goals came back to haunt us at the end."

Haunt may not be the correct word. After all, the Aggies did win.

--When it comes to assessing what team has been the biggest disappointment the season's first month, there is no doubt it's Auburn.

The Tigers needed overtime to get past Jacksonville State in their second game and now have dropped to 0-2 in conference play with losses to LSU (45-21) last week and Mississippi State (17-9) Saturday.

But coach Gus Malzahn, who started a redshirt freshman, Sean White, at quarterback against the Bulldogs in place of junior Jeremy Johnson, is keeping the faith.

"You can see we have a bunch of young guys, inexperienced guys, and we have a chance to grow," Malzahn said. "That's what we're doing. We're going to get better. I promise you that. We'll see what happens.

"We'll turn it around. There are a lot of things we're going to build upon. That's what I told our team. They fought their guts out."

In addition to White, the Tigers started two true freshmen, CB Carlton Davis and NB Jeremiah Dinson, in the secondary. Davis had six tackles and forced a fumble. Dinson was not credited with a stop.

"The defense played good enough to win," said Malzahn, whose Tigers have now lost five consecutive SEC games going back to last November. "They fought."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is new for me, a quarterback that can run like that." -- South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, after freshman QB Lorenzo Nunez led the Gamecocks in rushing with 123 yards on 18 carries in the 31-14 win over UCF.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 4 IN THE SEC:

1. A pair of sophomore running backs rule the conference. LSU's Leonard Fournette has rushed for 631 yards in three games (LSU's opener was cancelled) and Georgia's Nick Chubb has 599 in four games to heat up their Heisman candidacy.

2. Can Alabama solve its quarterback situation in time for its upcoming trip to Georgia? Jake Coker was only 17-of-31 passing for 158 yards against an overmatched Louisiana-Monroe and his backup, Cooper Bateman, who had started the week before, tried only one pass, completing it for an eight-yard gain as Bama managed only 303 yards in total offense.

3. The jury is still out on Tennessee. The Vols were seen as potential contenders in the East, but after blowing double-digit fourth quarter leads to Oklahoma at home and at Florida, they don't look ready for an October schedule that includes games against Georgia, Alabama, and resurgent Kentucky, the last two on the road.

4. Don't take Vanderbilt for granted. Ole Miss seemed to, and it nearly cost the Rebels an embarrassing defeat before they hung on for a 27-16 victory that wasn't secured until the fourth quarter.

5. Missouri's road magic may finally be dispelled. The Tigers saw their streak of road wins end at 11 with the 21-13 loss at Kentucky, which also dropped them to 10-3 in games decided by 10 points or fewer since the start of the 2013 season.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-29-2015, 01:51 PM

Tech Trends - Week 5

September 29, 2015

THURSDAY, OCT. 1

Matchup Skinny Tech Edge

MIAMI, FL at CINCINNATI
Canes only 3-9 last 12 vs. spread away from Sun Life Stadium.
Slight to Cincy, based on Miami road woes

FRIDAY, OCT.

Matchup Skinny Tech Edge

MEMPHIS at SOUTH FLORIDA
Tigers on 6-1-2 spread run away from Liberty Bowl. Also 8-5-1 last 14 as chalk. Bulls just 5-10 vs. spread at Tampa for Taggart since 2013 and 6-19-1 last 26 vs. spread at Raymond James dating to the later portion of the Skip Holtz era.
Memphis, based on team trends.

TEMPLE at CHARLOTTE
Matt Rhule on 15-8 spread run since midway in 2013 season.
Temple, based on team trends.

UCONN at BYU
Diaco still just 4-13 vs. line with Huskies but he is 2-2 this season. UConn 5-12 as road dog post-Edsall (since 2011). Cougs just 1-5 as Provo chalk LY.
Slight to UConn, based on team trends

SATURDAY, OCT. 3

Matchup Skinny Tech Edge

NORTH CAROLINA at GEORGIA TECH
After nine straight covers, GT now two Ls in a row. Prior to LY's loss at Chapel Hill, Paul Johnson was 4-0-1 previous five vs. UNC. Fedora 3-8 as dog away from Chapel Hill since taking over Heels in 2012.
GT, based on team and series trends.

ARMY at PENN STAT
James Franklin 4-2 laying DD since LY. Army has covered two straight as visitor after dropping 15 straight vs. line in role.
Penn State, based on team trends.

BOWLING GREEN at BUFFALO
Falcs just 2-6 as chalk since LY.
Slight to Buffalo, based on team trends.

TOLEDO at BALL STATE
Lembo has covered last three years in series. Cards, however, only 1-6 vs. line at Muncie since LY. Rockets just 2-5 as visiting chalk for Matt Campbell since 2012.
Slight to Ball State, based on series trends.

WYOMING at APP STATE
Wyo 1-6 last seven vs. line, though Bohl 4-3 as road dog since LY. App 5-1 last five vs. spread.
App State, based on team trends.

OHIO at AKRON
Solich 4-0 vs. line TY, Bobcats also 3-0-1 as visiting chalk since 2013. Solich has won and covered last two and six of last seven vs. Zips and has not lost SU in series since 2007. Even after win at ULL, Bowden on 2-9-1 spread skid since early LY.
Ohio, based on team and series trends.

MIAMI, OH at KENT STATE
One of Miami's two SU wins LY vs. Kent. Flashes 1-1 in rare chalk role since LY but 5-2-1 vs. spread as Dix Stadium since 2014. RedHawks 7-4-1 as dog for Chuck Martin since LY.
Slight to Miami-O, based on team trends.

KANSAS at IOWA STATE
Revenge for ISU after 34-14 loss LY at KU. Rhodes 4-4 as Ames chalk since 2012. ISU 1-6-1 vs. spread last 8 on board. Jayhawks just 6-16-1 vs. spread away since 2011.
Slight to ISU, based on team trends.

PURDUE at MICHIGAN STATE
Hazell has covered last two years vs. Dantonio. Spartans 0-4 vs. line TY, and 8-15 as East Lansing chalk since 2012 (0-6 in 2012). Dantonio 8-1 laying DD LY (L was vs. Boilermakers) though 0-3 in role TY. Purdue 4-1 vs. line last five on Big Ten road.
Purdue, based on team and recent series trends.

FIU at UMASS (at McGuirk Stadium)
FIU 2-0 in rare chalk role for Ron Turner since 2013. Golden Panthers also 6-2 vs. spread last eight on road. But Minutemen 5-1 vs. line last six as host.
Slight to FIU, based on team trends.

MINNESOTA at NORTHWESTERN
Gophers 5-1 vs. line last six in series. Jerry Kill 6-2 last 8 as road dog. Fitzgerald 4-0 SU TY (3-1 vs. line) but just 2-9 last eleven as Evanston chalk.
Minnesota, based on team trends.

LOUISVILLE at NC STATE
Pack on 7-0 SU and spread surge since late 2014, now 9-1 last nine on board. Also 5-2 last seven vs. line at Raleigh and 6-1 last seven as chalk. Petrino, however, has covered last six as visitor.
NCS, based on team trends.

WEST VIRGINIA at OKLAHOMA
WVU 4-1 last five as dog, 5-2 last seven as DD dog. Stoops 8-8 last sixteen as DD chalk.
Slight to WVU, based on team trends.

IOWA at WISCONSIN
Ferentz 4-2 vs. line last six in series, though teams missed each other in 2011-12. Hawkeyes 6-2 vs. spread last eight as Big Ten road dog.
Iowa, based on team and series trends.

PITT at VIRGINIA TECH
Home team has won and covered last three in series. Pitt three straight covers as visitor since late LY. Beamer just 20-36-1 last 57 on board, 7-15 last 22 as Blacksburg chalk.
Slight to Pitt, based on team trends.

MISSISSIPPI STATE at TEXAS A&M
Dan Mullen has covered last two years in series. Bulldogs have covered last five as road dog and last eight as dog overall. Ags only 4-8 last 12 as Kyle Field chalk.
MSU, based on team trends.

UCF at TULANE
UCF no covers last five since late 2014, 2-12 last 14 as chalk. Wave no covers last five as home dog.
Slight to Tulane, based on UCF chalk woes.

WKU at RICE
Bailiff on 29-15-1 spread run. Owls also 12-3 last 15 vs. line at home. Tops 2-6-1 vs. spread last nine away from home.
Rice, based on team trends.

KANSAS STATE at OKLAHOMA STATE
Bill Snyder has won SU last three and covered last four vs. Gundy. OSU just 2-6 last eight vs. points at Stillwater. Snyder 17-7 last 24 as dog.
Bill Snyder, based on team and series trends.

HOUSTON at TULSA
Cougs 10-0-1 vs. line last eleven as visitor, covers last four as road chalk. Tulsa improved for Montgomery with two covers in a row but still just 10-17 vs. line since 2013.
Houston, based on team trends.

ARIZONA STATE at UCLA
Mora just 2-6-1 last nine as Rose Bowl chalk, though Bruins were 24-12 previous 36 in role at Pasadena. ASU just 2-6 last eight as dog away from Tempe.
UCLA, based on team trends.

ARIZONA at STANFORD
Rich-Rod just 2-4 as road dog since 2013 and 6-7 vs. spread on Pac-12 trail since 2012. Tree 5-2 last seven as Farm chalk and 5-1 vs. line last six on board since late 2014.
Stanford, based on team trends.

TEXAS at TCU
Charlie Strong 1-4 vs. line last five since late 2014. Horns 0-3 as dog away from Austin under Charlie. Road team is 3-0 SU and vs. line since series resumed in 2012, with two of those wins belonging to TCU. Frogs 8-1 vs. line last nine at Fort Worth.
TCU, based on team trends.

AIR FORCE at NAVY
AFA 3-2 SU last five in series and currently owns Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Mids 4-1-1 vs. line last six as series host. Mids also on 7-2 spread run last nine since LY and have not lost two in a row SU to Falcs since 2001-02. AFA was 3-7 last ten as visiting dog entering 2015 but got recent cover at Mich State and has covered 8 of last 9 since late 2014.
Slight to Navy, based on recent trends.

ALABAMA at GEORGIA
Bama has not been dog since 2009 SEC title game vs. Florida. Bama just 4-9 last 12 vs. spread away from Tuscaloosa and just 5-4 SU last nine away from Bryant-Denny
Georgia, based on team trends.

OLE MISS at FLORIDA
Hugh Freeze on 37-17-1 spread run since 2011 at Ark State & Ole Miss, but only 2-4 last six as visiting chalk. McElwain on 24-9 spread run last 33 at CSU & Florida. If Gators dog note 9-3-1 mark last 13 in role.
Slight to Florida, if dog, based on recent team trends.

BOSTON COLLEGE at DUKE
Duke 13-4 last 17 as Durham chalk even after NU loss. Cutcliffe 22-8-1 vs. line since 2013.
Duke, based on team trends.

NEBRASKA at ILLINOIS
Huskers won and covered big the last two years vs. Illini. Nebraska 8-1 vs. spread last nine away from Lincoln, though Mike Riley just 5-10 last 15 as chalk with OSU & Nebraska. Illini 6-3 as home dog since 2013.
Slight to Nebraska, based on recent series trends.

OHIO STATE at INDIANA
Bucks 7-2 vs. line last nine away from Columbus. Though Indiana has covered last four years in series! Urban only 11-13 last 24 as chalk. Hoosiers 4-1 vs. spread last five at Bloomington, 3-1 last four as DD dog.
Slight to Indiana, based on series trends.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS at CENTRAL MICHIGAN
NIU 19-4 vs. line last 22 as visitor! Though only 2-2 SU and vs. line last four vs. Chips after loss LY. Chips only 2-8 as Mt. Pleasant dog since 2011.
NIU, based on team trends.

TEXAS TECH vs. BAYLOR (at Jerry Jones AT&T Stadium, Arlington)
Art Briles 5-2 vs. line against Tech since 2008, though no cover LY. Bears 2-5 vs. spread last 7 since late LY. Kingsbury 8-3 last 11 as dog.
Slight to TT, based on recent trends.

HAWAII at BOISE STATE
Boise only 4-6 last ten laying DD, and 10-11 vs. points last 21 on blue carpet.
Slight to Hawaii, based on team trends.

OREGON at COLORADO
Ducks have won and covered last four by massive margins vs. Buffs. UO 16-3 vs. spread last 19 as visitor since late 2010. MacIntyre, however, is 9-1 vs. spread last nine at Boulder!
Slight to UO, based on series trends.

WASHINGTON STATE at CAL
Cal has won and covered three of last four in series and is 2-0 vs. line at Berkeley TY. Though Bears just 5-8 last 12 as chalk since 2012 (3-5 for Dykes). Leach 8-2 last ten as road dog.
Slight to WSU, based on team trends.

SAN JOSE STATE at AUBURN
Malzahn no covers last nine on board, now 2-13 last 15 vs. spread! Malzahn 2-5 laying DD since LY and no covers last five vs. non-SEC. Spartans no covers last 8 as road dog!
Slight to SJSU, based on team trends.

IDAHO at ARKANSAS STATE
Vandals 6-0 as road dog LY but 0-1 in role TY. Ark State 6-1 as home chalk since 2014 and 16-9 last 25 vs. spread at Jonesboro.
Slight to Ark State, based on team trends.

ULL at LA TECH
Skip on 13-5 spread run since '14 and destroyed ULL 48-20 at Cajun Field LY. ULL 4-5 last nine as road dog.
La Tech, based on team trends.

VANDERBILT at MTSU
Dores 9-7 vs. line for Mason and 4-1 vs. line last five on road. Dores 13-2-1 vs. spread last sixteen vs. non-SEC (4-1-1 for Mason). MTSU however has covered first four in 2015. Slight to Vandy, based on team trends.

SOUTH CAROLINA at MISSOURI
Spurrier 6-4 vs. spread last ten away from Williams-Brice. He's 8-4 last 12 as dog even after Georgia loss. Pinkel no covers first four TY and Tigers just 2-5 last seven as home chalk.
SC, based on team trends.

EASTERN MICHIGAN at LSU
EMU 1-4-1 vs. line getting 20 or more since LY. LSU Miles 3-0 last three laying 30 or more.
Slight to LSU, based on recent trends.

OLD DOMINION at MARSHALL
ODU 0-4 vs. line TY and 2-10 last 12 on board. Herd 10-4-1 as home chalk since 2013.
Marshall, based on recent OSU woes.

ARKANSAS at TENNESSEE
Butch Jones just 3-7 as Knoxville chalk since 2013, 3-9 vs. spread at home same span.
Slight to Arkansas, based on team trends.

EAST CAROLINA at SMU
ECU just 1-7 as road chalk since 2013 and 7-14 vs. spread away from Greenville since 2012.
SMU, based on team trends.

NORTH TEXAS at SOUTHERN MISS
UNT no covers last eight as road dog! USM 4-0 vs. line TY.
USM, based on recent trends.

SOUTH ALABAMA at TROY
USA 3-0 vs. line as visiting chalk LY!
Slight to USA, based on team trends.[/B]

GEORGIA SOUTHERN at UL-MONROE
ULM just 5-11-1 vs. line last 17 at Malone Stadium since late 2011.
GSU, based on team trends.

FLORIDA STATE at WAKE FOREST
Wake has been destroyed last three years vs. Noles, total score 154-6! Jimbo 5-13 last 18 on board but is 2-1 vs. line TY.
Slight to FSU, based on recent series trends.

MICHIGAN at MARYLAND
Edsall only 3-7 as home dog since arriving in 2011 and 6-8 overall as dog since 2013.
Michigan, based on team trends.

COLORADO STATE at UTAH STATE
CSU 9-4 vs. spread last 13 as visitor, 23-10 vs. line last 33. Utags 2-5 last seven as Logan chalk.
CSU, based on team trends.

UTSA at UTEP
Visitor has romped in series last two years, but Coker on 4-10 spread skid. Miners were 5-1-1 vs. spread at Sun Bowl LY and Kugler 6-1-2 as chalk since 2013.
UTEP, based on recent team trends.

NOTRE DAME at CLEMSON
Irish 3-6 vs. spread last nine as true visitor (lots of neutral games in there the past few years). But Brian Kelly 6-2 last eight as dog. Dabo 4-7 last 11 on board since mid 2014.
ND, based on team trends.

NEW MEXICO STATE at NEW MEXICO
Bob Davie 3-0 SU, 2-0-1 vs. line vs. NMSU. Lobos on 8-3 spread run since mid 2014. Davie 6-3 as home chalk since 2012, Ags no covers last six as road dog.
New Mexico, based on team and series trends.

UNLV at NEVADA
Pack is 9-1 SU last ten Fremont Cannon battles, though Rebs have covered 3 of last 5 in series. Pack 3-9 vs. line last 12 as Reno chalk. UNLV now 10-4 vs. line last 14 as visitor.
Slight to UNLV, based on recent trends.

FRESNO STATE at SAN DIEGO STATE
Fresno 3-0-1 vs. line last four vs. Aztecs. SDSU no covers last five since late 2014.
Slight to Fresno, based on team and series trends.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-29-2015, 01:54 PM

Alabama in unfamiliar role as underdog

September 28, 2015

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Alabama finds itself cast in the unfamiliar role of underdog with something to prove.

The 13th-ranked Crimson Tide, for so long accustomed to favored status every fall Saturday, heads to No. 8 Georgia Saturday trying to pull off what odds makers say would be a minor upset.

''I think we take pride in our reputation that we've built around here the last few years and just the standard that we hold ourselves to every time we go out there and play,'' cornerback Cyrus Jones said on Monday. ''The fact that we're underdogs, I think it just gives us that more motivation to go out there and just kind of reclaim our reputation and how we want to be viewed by the rest of the league and the rest of the country.''

The Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) were installed as modest 2.5-point favorites to open the week. The higher ranked home team being picked to win is only notable because Alabama (3-1, 0-1) hasn't been an underdog since the 2009 SEC championship game against Florida. It's been 72 games and three national titles before it's now happened again.

The Tide does have much to prove after a 43-37 loss to No. 3 Mississippi two weeks ago that prompted a players-only meeting.

Alabama had five turnovers in that game and mustered 303 total yards in a 34-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe after that come-together session.

The focus, linebacker Reggie Ragland said, was on ''players just being together and quit worrying about the outside.''

''We can't worry about what other people say because people are going to talk regardless,'' Ragland said. ''We don't care about when people talk about us because we have to play football regardless. It's still a long season and we'll see at the end of the season.''

Questions remain about a young receiving corps hindered by Robert Foster's shoulder injury, and the secondary that was victimized on a couple of big plays against Ole Miss. Quarterback Jake Coker, meanwhile, has thrown four interceptions in the last three games.

Now, they'll face Nick Chubb and a Georgia team that has outscored it first four opponents by an average of 32 points a game.

Center Ryan Kelly said Tide players pay no attention to whether they're favored or underdogs. The meeting was designed to bring the team together amid the criticism for a program that is.18-6 against Top 10 opponents since 2008.

''When you're on top of the world, everybody's praising your name, but then you lose one game and it kind of goes down the hill,'' Kelly said. ''At the end of the day, it's all the guys in that room. We're the guys that have to go out there every day and practice, bleed together, sweat together. Nobody else is doing that besides us.

''At the end of the day, it doesn't matter about anybody else's opinion about what we do. It's about that room, who's on the field. We come together when things go bad and move on from there.''

For coach Nick Saban, it's how you respond to a loss that matters. So far, he likes what he sees.

''I have a lot of faith in this team,'' he said.

Offensively, Alabama could get a boost with the return of freshman tailback Bo Scarbrough from a four-game NCAA suspension for an unspecified issue. The former five-star prospect has also been medically cleared from a knee injury sustained during the offseason.

''We'll work hard to try to create a role for him,'' Saban said. ''It may take some time to get him back in the groove of things but that's certainly the plan.''

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The Bum's October's College Football Best Bets - Trends - Stats - News & More !!

The Bum's October's College Football Best Bets - Trends - Stats - News & More !!

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