Oct 24, 2010 - Ducks, The Destroyers of All Worlds. Oregon set a new record for points through seven games with their 60-13 steamrolling of UCLA. (The Ducks could get shut out in the next two weeks and still own the school records through eight and nine games.) It was the biggest win in Oregon's series against UCLA, and it was actually a below-average home game for Oregon in 2010: the Ducks are averaging 63.3 points and 649 yards per game at Autzen this year.
Since Chip Kelly's arrival in Eugene in 2007 as Oregon's offensive coordinator, it's been really hard to hold the Ducks down, but that's been the key to defeating them. Oregon's been held under 30 points just six times since the beginning of the 2007 season, but the Ducks are 0-6 in those games. Incredibly, they're 37-3 in games when scoring more than 30 over that span. But it's nigh impossible to shut down the Ducks at the Autzen Zoo: they run wild at home under Kelly, averaging 44.75 points per contest, and losing just three times in 24 contests.
It's hard to figure out whether any one player will ever be the signature talent under Kelly (LaMichael James seems like a good bet, certainly), but there's no way to get around the idea that his offense is and has been terrifyingly effective. And remember: Oregon missed out on Terrelle Pryor.
Cam Newton's Laws of Motion Key Auburn.
Cameron Newton proved his Heisman credentials with one long run against LSU, and he broke the SEC's record for most rushing yards by a quarterback (set by Auburn's Jimmy Sidle in 1963) and topped 1960 Heisman winner Pat Sullivan's school record of 26 combined rushing and passing touchdowns to boot. And yet, the game should be remembered for a rampaging running game that went down in the annals of Auburn football.Auburn racked up 440 rushing yards against LSU, which entered the game as the nation's sixth-ranked rushing defense. Auburn's avalanche of yardage increased LSU's yards allowed per game from 83.57 to 128.16, and its yards allowed per carry from 2.45 to 3.52. It's the most yardage Auburn's ever rushed for against an SEC team, and the most rushing yardage LSU has ever allowed. And it could have been worse: Auburn punted four times, and had three drives end on a fumble, a Hail Mary at the end of the first half, and a late turnover on downs.
This Saturday, Auburn humbled what was thought to be a great defense.
Dogged Bulldogs. There is something to be said for Georgia's opportunism yesterday. Sure, Washaun Ealey set a school record for rushing touchdowns in a game with five, one more than Herschel Walker ever scored, but the Dawgs were still outgained by Kentucky by more than 100 yards, and had to make the most of turnovers and special teams to come away with a 44-31 victory.
One way to do that is by scoring 28 points in the first half despite gaining just 96 yards on offense: Brandon Boykin's 100-yard kickoff return touchdown bested the Georgia offense's output in the first two quarters, and the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on drives of 20, 39, and five yards, set up by two fumbles and a failed fourth and one attempt at the Kentucky 38. For the half, Georgia recorded four first downs and four touchdowns. That's an interesting take on efficiency.
Baylor's Arrival. For three years, I've been waiting for Robert Griffin III to put Baylor on the national map. With one spectacular Saturday, he and the Baylor offense might have done just that.
Griffin threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns in Baylor's 47-42 shootout against Kansas State, but it was backfield mate Jay Finley who proved to be the real revelation, rushing for 250 yards, the fifth-best day for an FBS running back this year. Finley's total was only not more than double his career high because Finley set his previous career high last week against Colorado, with 143 yards. Baylor's 683 yards set a school record, too, and the Bears are bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 with the win, which might even propel them to their first ranking in the AP Poll in many years.
Hilltoppers On Top. Finally, Western Kentucky has won.
The Hilltoppers scored their first victory since September 2008 with a 54-21 win over Louisiana-Lafayette, and did damage with both offense and defense, outscoring the Ragin' Cajuns in every quarter and getting a fumble return and an interception return for touchdowns. It's the school's second-biggest victory as an FBS school, and their biggest over an FBS school as an FBS school, though that's mostly because it's also Western Kentucky's first win over an FBS school as an FBS school. Congratulations, Hilltoppers. For one week, you win.
The Still Sponsor-Free Conference USA Shootout of the Week. Houston 45, SMU 20. The Mustangs actually outgained the Cougars, and killed themselves with turnovers (two drives ended with turnovers on the first play) and by allowing a kick return touchdown.
The Also Sponsor-Free MAC Foot-Shooting of the Week. It was a particularly pathetic week for the MAC, so I'll let Matt Sussman, writer of SB Nation's MAC blog, Hustle Belt, break it down:
Akron's leader in receptions was Gary Pride: 4 catches, 8 yards.
Western Michigan's Travonte Boles had a 1-yard interception return for touchdown. No video available, but just visualize that.
Miami of Ohio's Nick Harwell had an 81-yard reception that would've been 82 yards and a touchdown but he DeSeaned the ball at the 1-yard line that rolled out of the end zone for a touchback. But he did set a school record for receiving yards in a game with 219.
CMU quarterback Ryan Radcliff has two straight games of three interceptions — Dan LeFevour never had a single game like that
Buffalo is the only team in FBS yet to score in the fourth quarter.
Toledo has been outscored 31-0 in the first quarter the last two weeks and won both games.
Bowling Green had -10 total rushing yards and 135 total yards. Also: 135 yards on 2 kickoff returns.
I don't have anything to add but my condolences to the fans of every MAC team that isn't Western Michigan. And Toledo, I guess.
The Sun Belt Agonizing Moment of the Week. Only three games involving Sun Belt teams were on the schedule this week, so this should have been a fairly difficult category to fill, but Florida Atlantic allowed 28 fourth-quarter points to Arkansas State in just 5:38 of game and lost 36-17, so the Sun Belt's infinite futility comes through again.
The FCS Score of the Week. Tie: Jacksonville 56, Marist 14 and Jacksonville State 56, Austin Peay 3. These are two of the best teams in FCS (Jacksonville is 7-1, Jacksonville State 8-0), and they're not only not both in Jacksonville, Florida; they're in completely different states, as Jacksonville State is located in Alabama. Before you ask: no, they do not meet in the regular season this year.
The Division II Or Below Box Score of the Week. You pick, because I can't: Indianapolis 6, Northern Michigan 5, in which the teams combined for 316 yards of total offense and 19 punts, scoring all 11 points in the fourth quarter, or Lewis and Clark 68, Puget Sound 64, in which Puget Sound had negative-seven rushing yards, saw quarterback Duncan White throw for 625 yards and eight touchdowns (five to Adam Kniffin, who had 19 catches) with no interceptions, and scored a go-ahead touchdown with 32 seconds left, only to endure Lewis and Clark getting the game-winning touchdown with one second left? (Sorry, Castleton State College 55, Husson 51, you got hosed.)
Notable Numbers. These are stats too brief for elaboration, and too good for tweets.
Indiana committed five turnovers against Illinois, and two of them being interception returns for the Illini means the Illinois defense outscored Indiana's offense in a 43-13 triumph. ... Navy threw two passes and beat Notre Dame 35-17. ... Miami of Ohio committed six turnovers and, stunningly, lost 34-13 to Ohio. ... Nebraska's Taylor Martinez threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 112 more, becoming the first quarterback at Nebraska to reach the 300/100 plateau. ... Louisville blanked Connecticut 26-0, the Cardinals' first shutout of a Big East opponent since joining the conference in 2005. ... Julio Jones caught a career-high 12 passes for a school-record 221 yards in Alabama's 41-10 rout of Tennessee.
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Surprised Utah only was mentioned one week..
Including their latest 59-6 beatdown against Colorado State, Utah has also won games by scores of 68-27, 56-3, 56-14, 38-10 and 30-6. The only other teams who have even sniffed results like that are Oklahoma State and, of course, Oregon.
Zoo Cougar n. A "special" breed of feline, characterized by its propensity to have its attempts at swallowing a canary inevitably resulting in its choking on crow. See also: Zoobie, Cosmo Nut, Sexless Cat, Hippo-C-Rat origin: It takes a special kind of kitty to try and swallow the canary and end up choking on crow. --Ute Proverb
"If going undefeated in a non-AQ conference is so easy why aren't more teams doing it???" --Andrea Adelson, ESPN?!?
by Ravenous Ute on Oct 26, 2010 10:19 AM EDT reply actions
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