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Week 6 Recap
By Bob GaughanNC State 17 Florida State 16
This is a game that Florida State should have never lost. The Seminoles let the Wolfpack hang around too long in a game that they should have won easily in the first half. NC State had no offense in the first half and trailed 16-0 at the break. Florida State was shut-out in the second half. NC State Quarterback Mike Glennon hasn’t had the senior season he had hoped but he did just enough to pull the upset. Glennon got a short field to work with as NC State blocked a punt with just over two minutes to go. NC State had three fourth down conversions on the winning drive, the last being the go ahead score on a four yard completion to Bryan Underwood. Florida State star CB Xavier Rhodes had a key interference penalty that helped the drive as well. This was supposed to be a potentially national championship season for Florida State but it goes up in flames as a result of a poor second half performance.
Florida 14 LSU 6
LSU struggled coming into this one with a tight win over Auburn and a much closer game than most expected with Towson. That was a sign of things to come. LSU had only 8 first downs in the game. The LSU offense is an embarrassment. Zach Menttenberger was supposed to be a better QB than Jordan Jefferson and he has proved to be a disappointment. The fine LSU defense wore down in the second half. Florida RB Mike Gillislee gained a career high 146 yards on 34 carries. He had the two Gator touchdowns as well. Thank the supposed Creator that I could watch thirty other games Saturday to avoid becoming a glazed zombie watching two privileged teams entertain their ever forgiving fan bases with this display borne of archaic preparation & inept execution in the sacred game of gridiron warfare. On a related note: You wonder if in the next Jets game Saint Timothy of Gainesville will play RB/WR/QB/CB/TE/H-Back/PR/KR/Gunner on all Special Teams & for the few plays where he isn't on the field, he will function as the Radar O'Reilly Communications Conduit, relaying via headset all Defensive/Offensive & Special Team Communications.
Kansas State 56 Kansas 16
Bill Snyder is a disciple of Hayden Fry. Fry would always put a huge emphasis on beating your in state rival. Fry believed you needed not just to win but to destroy your in state rival for recruiting reasons. So it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that Kansas State didn’t just want to beat Charlie Weis in his first year as coach of Kansas but embarrass him as well. This game was only a seven point game at halftime but Kansas State laid it on in the second half. Collin Klein and John Hubert both rushed for over 100 yards and combined for six touchdowns on the ground.
Penn State 39 Northwestern 28
You have to hand it to Bill O’Brien and Penn State after turning it around after a 0-2 start and now beating the number 24 team in the nation. Penn State dominated this game more than the score would indicate. Northwestern got a punt return for a touchdown and had a short field for another score. Northwestern came in as a high scoring offense but could muster less than 250 yards of offense against a strong Penn State defense. Matt McGloin threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third in leading the Penn State offense. The Nittany Lions have now won four straight. This was Northwestern’s first loss of the season. They were trying to go 6-0 for the first time since Ara Parseghian was coach.
Mississippi State 27 Kentucky 14
For the second straight week Kentucky played hard at home against a ranked opponent but in the end came up short. Last week they blew an opportunity to upset South Carolina and this week Mississippi State had to work hard but eventually wore down the less talented Wildcats. Mississippi State has a great defense led by one of the best CB in the country Jonathan Banks. Kentucky was held to 226 yards of total offense. Tyler Russell managed the game well for the Bulldogs offense and threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
Stanford 54 Arizona 48 OT
Stanford needed a good offensive showing after a poor effort in a loss last week to Washington. They needed QB Josh Nunes to have a career day to beat Arizona. An under-sized Arizona defense figured to be a bad match-up against the physical bullies of the Pac-12 in the Stanford Cardinal. What proved to be a surprise was that a usually strong Stanford defense had no answer for the Wildcats spread offense. Both teams had exactly 627 yards of offense. My only complaint was that Rich Rodriguez played for overtime at the end of regulation. Stanford’s star LB and future pro Chase Thomas intercepted a pass in OT. Stanford won it three plays later when Stephan Taylor ran it in from 21 yards out.
Iowa State 37 TCU 23
A tumultuous week for TCU football ended with their nation long 12 game winning streak being snapped at home by unranked Iowa State. TCU star QB Casey Pachall was suspended indefinitely Thursday after suspicion of driving while intoxicated. His replacement Trevone Boykin threw three interceptions including one that was returned for a touchdown. Iowa State is much improved and the Cyclones are now 4-1 on the season.
Oklahoma 41 Texas Tech 20
Oklahoma is an outstanding 19-0 in games after a loss since 2004. Landry Jones needed to get better after a few lackluster performances this year. Jones responded by completing 25 of 40 passes for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The real stars of the game were the Oklahoma offense lineman. They gave Jones ample time against what was one of the best scoring defenses in the country. Texas Tech was doing it with defense having allowed only 10.8 points per game coming into this contest. Defensively the Sooners were the better team as well. Javon Harris put the game away with a 46 yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Clemson 47 Georgia Tech 31
You would think that Tajh Boyd, Andre Ellington, WR DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins would have a field day against a poor Yellow Jackets defense that just got smoked by Middle Tennessee State. That’s exactly what happened as Boyd threw for a career high 397 yards and Hopkins had 173 receiving yards. Clemson’s defense is still a huge concern as a shoot-out materialized with the Tech option attack. Tech did gain 483 yards in a losing effort. There were only two punts in the game one from each side.
Oregon State 19 Washington State 6
Washington State stud receiver Marquess Wilson had only four catches for 54 yards against a stingy Oregon State defense. Mike Riley was on the hot seat coming into this season and what a shock it is to see the Beavers in the Top 25. Oregon State held Mike Leach’s offense to only 227 yards. Jordan Poyer had three interceptions for the Beavers. DE Scott Crichton was in the Cougars backfield all night. Crichton had three sacks on the day. It was a sloppy offensive performance by Oregon State as they had 11 penalties and three turnovers.
South Carolina 35 Georgia 7
Georgia ran all over Tennessee with their two-headed freshman running back monster. Could they do it against a tough Gamecocks defensive line that sports two future NFL players in Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor. The answer was a resounding NO! South Carolina jumped out early on Georgia and this one was a rout right from the start. You hope that Georgia falls far in the polls after this performance. Aaron Murray completed only 11 of his 31 passes for just over 100 yards on the night. Marcus Lattimore had another 100 yard night which seems so common place for him now.
West Virginia 48 Texas 45
Alabama coach Nick Saban said earlier this week that he is against the spread offenses because he thinks “it might cause injuries”. I totally disagree with the best coach in the country. I loved watching this game. I could watch West Virginia games every week. Geno Smith actually said after the Baylor game that he “thinks he has had better games.” Mack Brown was so concerned about stopping Smith that he must have called Dave Wannstedt for a defensive game plan. Smith didn’t have the numbers he put up last week but RB Andrew Buie ran for a career high 207 yards as the Longhorns couldn’t stop the run for the second straight week. Smith didn’t hurt his Heisman quest either by throwing for four touchdowns. Karma played a role in the loss as well for Texas. Penn State transfer Anthony Fera missed a chip shot field goal late in the fourth quarter that could have tied the game at the time.
Notre Dame 41 Miami 3
Notre Dame's "Teacher's Pet" arrangement/flirtation with the Atlantic Coast Conference means that we may see more of this rivalry. Count me as one that hated the Notre Dame jerseys. Count me one that loves the Notre Dame defense. Notre Dame now has a trio of defensive players that could be drafted. We all know that ILB Manti T’eo is a for sure first round pick. Defensive ends Stephon Tuitt and Kapron Lewis-Moore are making noise as well. Miami could do little against the Irish. Stephon Morris came into the game on fire and left in a slump. Miami couldn’t stop the Notre Dame ground game. Notre Dame ran for 399 yards on the ground. That’s right almost 400 yards just on the ground. George Atkinson and Cierre Wood both gained over 100 yards and combined for three touchdowns.
Ohio State 63 Nebraska 38
Last week Michigan State slowed down the Ohio State offense by stacking the line on Braxton Miller. Nebraska must not have gotten the tape of that game. Do you remember when Nebraska had the proud “Black Shirt Defense”? What a distant memory that seems now. Braxton Miller threw for only 127 yards but ran for 185 against the once vaunted Cornhusker defense. Credit has to go to offensive linemen like Tackle Reid Fragel who has gotten better and better each game. Last week he got the best of Michigan State DE William Gholstein. Nebraska’s offense turned the ball over four times which over-shadowed an otherwise fine performance. You would have thought 38 points would have been enough for Nebraska and one would have never imagined that you would still lose by 25.