Did the college football schedule-making people purposely try to torment us yesterday by making sure all the games at 3:00 and 3:30 were terrible, and all the good ones were at 7:00 or later? What a boring afternoon (although Maryland-Clemson was good for awhile) and what an awesome night!
-Only a few upsets yesterday, the first being probably the biggest as Minnesota took down #24 Nebraska in Minneapolis (and yes, they were playing football, not hockey). I’m really starting to like this scrappy Golden Gopher team- that was one of the most fun games I’ve watched in a long time.
-Remember this name: Ra’Shede Hageman. He’s a senior DT for the Gophers and he should be playing on Sundays in the next couple of years.
-I didn’t actually see Duke upset Virginia Tech (I don’t think it was even on TV here), but I saw an amazing stat on Twitter last night, courtesy of @ESPNStatsInfo: “The last time the Duke football team defeated a ranked team on the road, Mike Krzyzewski was serving in the U.S. Army (1971)” Um, wow.
-Upset number 3 went into two overtimes, but #21 South Carolina did prevail over #5 Missouri. It was amazing how much the game turned when Steve Spurrier put Connor Shaw in at quarterback. Don’t get me wrong, Dylan Thompson is a good QB. I’m not sure there’s a better #2 QB in the country. But he’s not a scrambler like Shaw, and without that dimension, the defense was able to shut the Gamecocks down. Once Shaw went in and was able to run- well, hobble quickly- for yardage, the defense for the Tigers looked lost. Once down 17-0, the Gamecocks tied the game at 24 late in the fourth to force OT. The SEC East just got more interesting.
-From the “what the hell did he just DO” file: it’s the last :20 or so in the second quarter, Michigan State versus Illinois. Spartans have had the ball for about eight minutes now, and it’s 3rd-and-25 from the Illinois 29. Illinois hasn’t been able to do much, everyone figures the Spartans will run the ball, take some time off the clock, and then kick the field goal. Instead, Connor Cook drops back and throws to Bennie Fowler (side note: he’s still in college? I feel like I’ve been hearing that name forever) for a touchdown. Sparty went on to win 42-3. Illinois hasn’t won a conference game since 2011.
-The announcers for the Clemson-Maryland game mentioned it repeatedly, and I notices it too: Tajh Boyd was not himself. He wasn’t as quick or as nimble on his feet as he usually is. Maryland was able to keep it close for awhile, but Clemson eventually pulled away and left the Terps in the dust. Maryland is decimated by injuries right now, but they’re not starting a linebacker at quarterback, so that’s an improvement over last year.
-And now the big one: Oregon and UCLA. I was trying to keep an eye on South Carolina-Missouri and watch a hockey game, so I didn’t see every second of the first half, but I did see Mark Helfrich take a page from the Les Miles playbook and go with a fake punt in the first half. Hey, when it works, it’s genius.
-Brett Hundley’s quick feet impressed me. His lateral movement and cutting ability are well above average.
-A school record 18 freshmen have played for UCLA this year, including three on the offensive line last night. They’re doing an incredible job of recruiting there if they’re bringing in that many guys who can contribute right away.
-Last night’s game not withstanding, that Oregon State team is pretty good. Wouldn’t mind seeing my Giants draft Brandin Cooks if he comes out this year.
-In the first quarter, Florida State put up 35 points. NC State put up 32… yards.
-I turned off the Alabama game after about ten minutes. Is Nick Saban gonna cancel my DirecTV?
-I don’t think I’ve ever covered D-III football in this column before, but congratulations to Western Connecticut State’s Octavious McKoy, who rushed for an NCAA single-game record 455 yards, as well as 5 TDs, against Worcester State. Just our annual reminder that there’s good football out there beyond the FBS and FCS levels.
