From the Couch Sports

Weekday Football Headlines

Kennesaw State 33 UTEP 20

The Kennesaw State Owls are bowl eligible in just their second season in the FBS. They got all they could handle from one UTEP, it was actually a back and forth first three quarters, but the Owls pulled away late thanks to a strong fourth quarter. The Owls top performer was running back Chase Belcher who ran for 113 yards and a score. Kennesaw State has now won 6 games in a row and are tied for 1st in the Conference USA with Jacksonville State.

James Madison 52 Texas State 20

James Madison is making a strong case to represent the Group of 5 in the College Football Playoff. They are 7-1 (5-0) in the Sun Belt and their only loss was a close one to ACC contender Louisville. The Dukes were up 28-20 at the half but went on to outscore the Bobcats 24-0 in the second half. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III had 264 passing yards on just 12 completions. He added four passing scores and a rushing touchdown, he also ran for 98 yards. James Madison is on top of the Sun Belt East with just three conference games remaining. If they run the table and win the conference title, you could see this team competing for a National Title.

Jacksonville State 24 Middle Tennessee State 21

This one had the makings of an upset, it seemed like a weekday theme for contenders of Group of 5 conferences. Start slow, play down to competition, but finish strong and secure the win. That’s exactly what this was for the Gamecocks too. They flirted with disaster until outscoring the Blue Raiders 17-7 in the fourth quarter. The nation’s leading rusher Cam Cook ran for 105 yards and the game winning score to put Jacksonville State ahead with 4:29 to go. MTSU had two chances in the final four and a half minutes to tie the game or take the lead but punted and turned the ball over on downs. Jacksonville State has a road game at UTEP before they host conference co-leader Kennesaw State.

UTSA 48 Tulane 26

Down go the Green Wave! MEEP MEEP! Tulane was 3-0 in the American when they hit the road to play UTSA. It seemed as if they never left New Orleans. They trailed 31-12 at the half, BYU transfer quarterback had been great all season for Tulane but was inaccurate in the Alamodome. He went 14/28 for 194 yards with 1 TD but he threw 2 INT’s. He was benched in the second half. Meanwhile, UTSA QB Owen McCown was nearly perfect going 31/34 throwing for 370 yards and 4 TD’s. The Roadrunners out-gained Tulane and forced 4 turnovers to secure the upset. Tulane is still alive for the American Conference title but their playoff chances are oh so slim after this defeat.

The Saturday Slate

#1 Ohio State and #2 Indiana Roll as Usual

#1 Ohio State 38 Penn State 14

Buckeye QB Julian Sayin threw for 316 and four scores in the Horseshoe to boost his Heisman campaign. This game was close at the end of the first half but Ohio State flexed their muscle in the second half, they outscored the Nittany Lions 21-0 to hand Penn State their fifth consecutive loss. Penn State only gained 200 yards of offense.

#2 Indiana 55 Maryland 10

Indiana isn’t just beating Big 10 teams, they are humiliating them, this time on the road. They gained almost 600 yards of offense and forced five Maryland turnovers. The Hoosiers have outscored Big 10 opponents 262-74 in 6 games.

Two Top 10 Teams Lose on the Road

SMU 26 #10 Miami 20 OT

Miami had one road game before traveling to Dallas, a trip to Tallahassee on October 4th, seven consecutive games in the state of Florida. The SMU Mustangs were ready to host the Hurricanes for the first time ever. Miami really should’ve won this game, they out-possessed SMU by more than 15 minutes, out-gained them, and were better on third down. The thing that killed the Canes was costly penalties and turnovers. On the final drive of regulation for SMU, play was stopped on a 4th & 9 attempt. Miami defensive end Marquise Lightfoot rushed the passer but stop, crushing SMU QB Kevin Jennings and giving the Mustangs an automatic first down. SMU would drive down the field and tie the game at 20 to send the game to overtime. Miami QB Carson Beck threw an interception close to the goal-line and the Mustangs closed out the game with a walk-off touchdown run. Miami’s playoff chances are dwindling, as are their hopes of an ACC Title appearance. SMU stays alive for the ACC title, moving to 4-1 in the ACC.

#20 Texas 34 #9 Vanderbilt 31

Somehow, the Texas Longhorns are still alive for the College Football Playoff having survived yet another close SEC game. Texas struck first with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Arch Manning to Ryan Wingo. Manning would go on to lead Texas to a dominating first half, they lead 24-10. Texas would take a 34-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. Then disaster was avoided, Vanderbilt put up 21 unanswered points as Diego Pavia scored three times for the Commodores. Their last-ditch onside kick effort failed with :30 seconds left as the Longhorns avoided blowing a huge lead. Pavia and Manning both threw for over 300 yards. Playoff chances are slim for the Vandy and Texas as they each need to run the table and get some help.

Clemson loses at Home Again

Duke 46 Clemson 45

The Clemson Tigers are 3-5. Four of their five losses have been at home in Death Valley, the first time they’ve lost four home games since 1998. The loss came in heartbreaking fashion for the Tigers. Duke used an 11 play 94 yard drive in the game’s final minutes and scored a touchdown with :40 seconds left. Instead of going for the tie, Manny Diaz made a bold call and went for the two-point conversion. Darian Mensah took the snap, faked, and rolled out to deliver a perfect pass to Sahmir Hagans who was wide open in the flat for an easy walk-in conversion.

Navy is No Longer Unbeaten

North Texas 31 Navy 17

Two American Conference playoff hopefuls matched up in Denton. Navy came into the game 7-0 with a perfect 5-0 conference record, North Texas 7-1 with their only conference loss coming at home to USF. The game would be a clash of styles, Navy’s triple option rushing attack vs. North Texas’ air raid passing attack. Navy QB Blake Horvath leads all quarterbacks in rushing and NT QB Drew Mestemaker 2nd in the nation in passing. North Texas took a quick 14-0 lead and for an option team like Navy, an early obstacle that is nearly impossible to overcome. Navy scored 10 points in the second quarter, but so did North Texas. The Mean Green never lost the lead thanks to a career-high rushing performance from true freshman running back Caleb Hawkins. He also ran for four scores as North Texas ended Navy’s 10 game-winning streak.

CFP Dark Horse Teams Win

#13 Texas Tech 43 Kansas State 20

Big 12 Championship hopeful Texas Tech moves to 5-1 in the Big 12 as Behren Morton throws for 249 yards and two scores. The Red Raiders host BYU in Week 11 in a game that may be a Big 12 title game preview.

#18 Oklahoma 33 #14 Tennessee 27

The Sooners went into Neyland Stadium and knocked off the Vols thanks to a late rushing touchdown by QB John Mateer. In what was definitely a playoff eliminator, Tennessee out-gained Oklahoma by more than 100 yards, but turned the ball over three times, all three turnovers coming from QB Joey Aguilar. Oklahoma kept their slim playoff chances alive while Tennessee will more than likely be unable to return to the College Football Playoff with this loss.

#15 Virginia 31 Cal 21

Virginia’s unexpected season continues. A 10-point win on the road puts them in the driver seat for a spot in the ACC title game, they have a perfect 5-0 conference record. The Cavaliers’ strong defensive performance in Berkley secured their first seven-game winning streak since 2007.

#16 Louisville 28 Virginia Tech 16

Va Tech lead 16-7 at the half and looked like they’d be able to pull off back to back home upsets, but the Cardinals scored 21 unanswered in the second half. Louisville has been on everyone’s radar since their upset win at Miami and they still have a strong opportunity to make the ACC title game at 4-1 in the conference.

#21 Michigan 21 Purdue 16

Helped by an incredible performance from running back Jordan Marshall, a career-high 185 yards and three scores, the Wolverines took care of Purdue in the Big House. They may be a bit of a long-shot to make the CFP but at 5-1 in the Big 10 with two winnable games coming up before the game against Ohio State, they could sneak in with some help.

#23 USC 21 Nebraska 17

The Memorial Stadium “blackout” was visually stunning, Nebraska just extended Matt Rhule, and the Huskers held USC to their worst passing game in seven years. It still wasn’t enough to beat the Trojans. For as bad as they were throwing the ball, the men of Troy had a ground game that accounted for 202 yards and two scores. Cornhusker QB Dylan Raiola was injured in this game and is unlikely to return until next season.

Joy for one Georgia Team, Despair for the Other

#5 Georgia 24 Florida 20

Would this be the year? Could the Gators play an inspired game, lead by an interim coach, and knock off their hated rivals? Not quite. The Gators and Dawgs played a classic smash-mouth rivalry game, but it was Georgia who would rally late to avoid the loss. Florida was held to under 300 yards of offense….again and DJ Lagway failed to connect with J. Michael Sturdivant on a wide open deep ball on the Gators final drive. Sturdivant had to come back to the under-thrown ball and it appeared like his arms got under the ball for the catch but replay was unable to prove it was a clean catch. Florida failed to convert a fourth down on that drive and the Dawgs ran out the clock. In fact, Florida failed to convert a 4th down at the UGA 18 on their previous possession. They converted just 2 of 11 3rd downs, a miserable trend for the season.

NC State 48 #8 Georgia Tech 36

NC State pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the ACC this year with their late night victory in Raleigh despite the best efforts of Ga Tech QB Haynes King, who threw for a career-high 408 yards and ran for 103. It was a back and forth offensive battle with both teams combining for 1,142 yards. The Wolfpack started getting some breathing room late in the second half with explosive touchdowns and held off a late Yellow Jacket rally. NC State RB Jayden Scott lead the way with 196 rushing yards. The loss was Tech’s first this season and they will have to remain perfect in conference if they want a chance at the CFP.

Utah Hands Cincinnati their First Conference Loss

#24 Utah 45 #17 Cincinnati 14

The nightcap headliner was the host for College GameDay and Utah delivered. The Utes absolutely dominated, holding the ball for 40 minutes and holding Bearcat QB Brendan Sornsby to a 33% completion percentage. Cincy threatened to get back in the game after an 88 yard TD pass early in the 3rd followed by a defensive interception but they couldn’t muster any offense after the 88 yard score. Utah out-scored Cincy 21-0 to close the game.

Rivalry Spotlight

• “Commander in-Chief Trophy”: Army 20 Air Force 17. Army has now beaten Air Force in 5 of 6 years, and have eliminated the Falcons from a chance to win the Commander in Chief’s Trophy.
• Ohio State-Penn State: #1 Ohio State 38 Penn State 14. Penn State hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2016, Ohio St. has won 13 of 14 in this series.
• “Frank Leahy Memorial Game”: #12 Notre Dame 25 Boston College 10. The Irish are 10-0 against the Eagles since 2009. The Frank Leahy Legacy Trophy stays in South Bend.
• “World’s Largest Cocktail Party”: #5 Georgia 24 Florida 20. Georgia has beaten Florida 8 of the last 9 meetings. Kirby Smart is 8-2 against the Gators in his career.
• Boise State-Fresno State: Fresno State 30 Boise State 7. Fresno State wins the Milk Can for the third year in a row.
• Central Michigan-Western Michigan: Western Michigan 24 Central Michigan 21. Western Michigan is 8-2 in their last 10 games against CMU. WMU wins the Victory Cannon and is needs to beat Eastern Michigan to win The Michigan MAC Trophy.
• “Dick Tomey Legacy Game”: San Jose State 45 Hawai’i 38. The Spartans win The Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy for the 5th time in a row.

Weekly Leaders

PASSING

Walker Eget, QB SJSU—- 458 pass yards vs. Hawai’i

RUSHING

Jeff Sims, QB Arizona State—- 228 rush yards vs. Iowa State

RECEIVING

Danny Scudero, WR SJSU—- 215 receiving yards vs. Hawai’i

UNBELIEVABLE STAT OF THE WEEK

Arizona State QB Jeff Sims ran for a 228 rushing yards in a win against Iowa State. He set the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback and was named AP National Player of the Week for his performance.