News / Allstate Sugar Bowl

College Football Recap - Oct. 3

Monday, October 3, 2011

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECAP - 10/3/11 Here's a brief look at the highlights of week five of the college football season, a week which saw five games between undefeated teams, six undefeated teams losing (there are 15 remaining in the country) and a host of huge games by quarterbacks. The rankings used in this recap are the AP Rankings from prior to the games. BATTLES OF THE UNDEFEATEDS #3 Alabama 38, #12 Florida 10: The Crimson Tide goes on the road and flexes its muscles in a very impressive win over the Gators behind 181 yards and two scores from Trent Richardson, though Florida starting quarterback John Brantley left the game at the half due to injury and Jeff Demps suffered an ankle injury early. #7 Wisconsin 48, #8 Nebraska 17: A very impressive performance by the Badgers as they give Nebraska a very rude welcome to the Big Ten behind national-name-making efforts from quarterback Russell Wilson (14-of-20, 255 yards) and running back Montee Ball (150 yards, four touchdowns). #13 Clemson 23, #11 Virginia Tech 3: It may be time for all doubts about Clemson to go away as the Tigers become the first ACC team in history to post three straight wins over ranked teams by holding Virginia Tech to just three points. Kansas State 36, #15 Baylor 35: A thrilling back-and-forth battle ends with the unranked Wildcats overcoming another virtuoso performance from Robert Griffin III (346 yards, five touchdowns), who makes his first mistake of the year - getting bumped and throwing his first interception of the year to set up K-State's winning drive. #17 Texas 37, Iowa State 14: The Longhorns get revenge for last year's home loss to Iowa State (the Cyclones' first-ever win in Austin) by jumping to a 34-0 lead and forcing three turnovers. COMEBACK CITY #18 Arkansas 42, #14 Texas A&M 38: The Razorbacks outscore the Aggies, 25-3, in the second half as Tyler Wilson throws for over 500 yards and Texas A&M suffers its second straight surprising collapse. #24 Illinois 38, Northwestern 35: The Wildcats were fully in control, holding a 28-10 lead in the third quarter, but the Illini fight back in a big way behind quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, closing the game with a 28-7 run. Illinois is 5-0 for first time since 1951. COMEBACK COMES UP SHORT SMU 40, #20 TCU 33: The Mustangs build a surprising 33-17 fourth-quarter lead before the Horned Frogs come to life, scoring 16 straight points to force overtime. However, SMU wins it in overtime on J.J. McDermott's 19-yard touchdown hook-up with Jeremy Johnson - just the school's second win over a ranked foe since receiving the death penalty. #21 Georgia Tech 45, North Carolina State 35: The Yellow Jackets run early and often, piling up 293 rushing yards as they build a 42-14 fourth-quarter lead, before having to weather a Wolfpack storm of three late touchdowns. STOPPING POWER #1 LSU 35, Kentucky 7: The Bayou Bengals hold the Wildcats to 161 yards and star Tyrann Mathieu sets an LSU record for forced fumbles in a career (and he's just a sophomore) and scores another touchdown. #2 Oklahoma 62, Ball State 6: The Cardinals open this game with a successful on-sides kick, but not much else goes right as the Sooner defense allows just 214 yards and forces four turnovers, including three interceptions by Tony Jefferson. #4 Boise State 30, Nevada 10: With Kellen Moore having an uncharacteristic off-day (141 yards, two interceptions), the Bronco defense steps up, allowing just 181 yards and holding the Wolfpack scoreless through three quarters as Boise gains revenge for its lone loss of 2010. #19 Michigan 58, Minnesota 0: The much-maligned Wolverine defense holds the Gophers to just 177 yards as it posts its first shutout since 2007 while Denard Robinson completes 15-of-19 passes with a pair of touchdowns. MAKING MISCUES #6 Stanford 45, UCLA 19: The Cardinal remain undefeated thanks to the efforts of Andrew Luck (23-of-27, 227 yards, 3 TDs and a sensational one-handed reception) and some crucial mistakes by UCLA - the Bruins were stuffed on the goal-line early on fourth down; they fumbled a third-quarter punt which led to a quick Stanford score and a bad personal-foul penalty set up another Cardinal TD. #22 West Virginia 55, Bowling Green 10: The Mountaineers fall behind 10-3 early, then their defense steps up, forcing five turnovers and allowing a total of 217 yards while Geno Smith throws for three TDs as West Virginia gets back in the win column. #25 Arizona State 35, Oregon State 20: After falling behind 13-0, the Sun Devil defense starts making big plays, forcing five turnovers to close the game on a 35-7 run. UNDEFEATED NO MORE Auburn 16, #10 South Carolina 13: The Tigers run Michael Dyer a career-high 41 times for 141 yards but its quarterback Barrett Trotter saving the day by finding Phillip Lutzenkirchen for the go-ahead, nine-yard touchdown with 1:30 remaining to upend the 10th-ranked Gamecocks, who are again victimized by poor quarterback play (9-of-23, two interceptions). Pittsburgh 44, #16 USF 17: With a lot of talk about USF becoming the new favorite in the Big East, Pitt and running back Ray Graham (226 rushing yards, two TDs) put a beating on the Bulls, who are now 0-7 all-time in Thursday night games.	VOTE FOR MANNING STARS College football fans, be sure to "like" the official Allstate Sugar Bowl Facebook page (linked above) and vote each week for the Manning Award Player of the Week. The top quarterback performances from each week will be posted giving you the chance to vote for what you think was the best effort each week of the college football season. MANNING AWARD STARS OF THE WEEK While 31 quarterbacks are on the Manning Award Watch List, additional players may be added later in the season and every quarterback in the country remains eligible for the honor. Here's a look at the best performances of the fifth week of the football season: Matt Barkley, USC (32-of-39, 464 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) Barkley has a huge game with a school-record 464 yards, including four TD tosses while also running for a score, and the Trojans need every bit of it as they hold off Arizona, 48-41. Alex Carder, Western Michigan (36-of-51, 471 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT) Carder throws for three fourth-quarter touchdowns and finishes with a career-high 479 yards as the Broncos come from behind to top defending Big East champ Connecticut, 38-31. Case Keenum, Houston (30-of-46, 471 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) Keenum has another 400-yard game, leading the Cougars to a hard-fought 49-42 win over UTEP as his squad improves to 5-0 for the first time since 1990. Marshall Lobbestael, Washington State (32-of-49, 377 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) Lobbestael, who was not the starter coming into the year, has another big game, throwing two touchdown passes in the final three minutes, including a perfect 63-yard game-winning connection, to lift the Cougars to a 31-27 win over Colorado. Ryan Radcliff, Central Michigan (17-of-28, 388 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT) Radcliff throws for 388 yards and four scores (79 yards, 61 yards, 46 yards and 43 yards) as the Chippewas outscore Northern Illinois, 48-41, for their first victory of the year. Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois (21-of-32, 392 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) Scheelhaase throws for a school-record 392 yards as he leads the Illini to a thrilling comeback from a 28-10 deficit, punching in the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds to go in the 38-35 victory. Russell Wilson, Wisconsin (14-of-20, 255 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) Wilson leads the Badgers to a huge win as he directs a dominant offensive performance with two passing touchdowns and one on the ground in a 48-17 decision over No. 8 Nebraska. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas (30-of-51, 509 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) Wilson piles up a school-record 509 yards as he leads an amazing comeback for the Razorbacks, erasing a 35-17 deficit with a huge second half in 42-38 win over Texas A&M. TOP UPCOMING GAMES (current AP Rankings) #5 Boise State at Fresno State (Friday): Fresno played Nebraska tough and will be one of the more challenging remaining road games for the Broncos. #17 Florida at #1 LSU: After their loss to Alabama on Saturday, the Gators have little time to re-group as they head to Baton Rouge to take on the top-ranked Tigers. #3 Oklahoma vs. #11 Texas (Arlington): The Red River Rivalry features an Oklahoma team which has been a popular pick to make this year's BCS title game, but a loss to Texas would thrust the Longhorns to a lofty ranking and make them a potential title team just one year removed from a shocking 5-7 season. Miami at #21 Virginia Tech: The Hokies' home-loss to Clemson on Saturday dealt a serious blow to their national-title hopes, but they are still very much in the mix for an ACC title-game appearance, where they could get another shot at Clemson. #15 Auburn at #10 Arkansas: The defending national champions and last year's Sugar Bowl participant come together for another key SEC West showdown - another loss for either school will severely hamper their BCS bid hopes for this year. #24 Texas A&M at Texas Tech: The Aggies have had plenty of national attention after a lofty preseason ranking and their pending move to the SEC, but they have had two straight second-half collapses. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are quietly undefeated. Ohio State at #14 Nebraska: Nebraska has a very rude welcome to the Big Ten in Madison on Saturday; now the Huskers hope to shrug off the loss and show a similar lack of hospitality for their first Big Ten guest, multiple-time defending Big Ten champion Ohio State. Bowl Predictions Allstate Sugar Bowl, January 3, 2012 ESPN.com (Schlabach): LSU vs. Boise State ESPN.com (Edwards): Alabama vs. Boise State CBSSports.com (Palm): LSU vs. Boise State CBSSports.com (McMurphy): Alabama vs. Oregon (updates Tuesday) College Football News: LSU vs. Boise State SI.com (Mandel): LSU vs. Boise State WDSU-TV (Mackel): LSU vs. Boise State Allstate BCS National Championship, January 9, 2012 ESPN.com (Schlabach): Alabama vs. Oklahoma ESPN.com (Edwards): LSU vs. Oklahoma CBSSports.com (Palm): Alabama vs. Oklahoma CBSSports.com (McMurphy): LSU vs. Oklahoma (Updates Tuesday) College Football News: Alabama vs. Oklahoma SI.com (Mandel): Alabama vs. Oklahoma WDSU-TV (Mackel): Alabama vs. Wisconsin YOUTUBE PICK OF THE WEEK Each week, the Allstate Sugar Bowl will make its YouTube Pick of the Week, top highlights, impressive off-field performances and great plays, such as this spectacular catch by Stanford's Andrew Luck on Saturday - despite the catch, it is expected that Stanford will keep Luck at quarterback.