News / Allstate Sugar Bowl

College Football Recap - Oct. 10

Monday, October 10, 2011

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECAP - 10/10/11 Here's a brief look at the highlights of week six of the college football season, a week which saw just one upset in the Top-25 as teams prepare for the release of the first BCS Standings on Sunday, Oct. 16. The rankings used in this recap are the AP Rankings from prior to the games. SEC SHOWDOWNS #1 LSU 41, #17 Florida 11: The Gators play without their starting quarterback and standout running back Jeff Demps and it shows as LSU dominates the entire game, holding Florida to just seven total first downs and 100 passing yards while Spencer Ware runs for 110 yards and a pair of scores while star defensive back Tyrann Mathieu adds another interception. #2 Alabama 34, Vanderbilt 0: A.J. McCarron has his best game of the year, throwing for 237 yards and four touchdowns to jumpstart a lackluster offense while the Crimson Tide defense allows just 190 yards in posting its second shutout of the year. #10 Arkansas 38, #15 Auburn 14: Trailing 14-7 after one quarter, quarterback Tyler Wilson leads the Razorbacks to 31 unanswered points, completing 19 straight passes at one point, while Arkansas' defense holds the Tigers to just 227 yards after the first quarter. Georgia 20, Tennessee 12: The Bulldog defense continues to play well, holding the Volunteers to just one touchdown, as Georgia improves to 4-2 and remains tied for first in the SEC East - a tough blow for Tennessee though, which loses standout quarterback Tyler Bray to a broken thumb. FANTASTIC FINISHES #21 Virginia Tech 38, Miami 35: The Hurricanes rally from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a 35-31 lead with 3:10 left, but the Hokies' Logan Thomas slips nearly untouched into the end zone from 19 yards out with 71 seconds to go to regain the lead. A last-minute effort by Miami comes up short as Virginia Tech remains in the ACC title picture. #24 Texas A&M 45, Texas Tech 40: This finish was fantastic for Aggie fans who had seen their team give up double-figure leads in each of the last two games with weak second halves; this time A&M returns a blocked field goal for a touchdown and gets a passing score from Ryan Tannehill to send the Red Raiders to their first defeat of the year. PERFECT SURPRISE #8 Clemson 36, Boston College 14: Even most Clemson fans didn't expect a 6-0 start for the Tigers, but a strong defensive performance lifts them to a blowout of Boston College - though not without concerns as breakout star quarterback Tajh Boyd suffers a leg injury late in this one. #19 Illinois 41, Indiana 20: Some wondered if Ron Zook would keep his job through the year; all the Illinois head coach has done is guide the Illini to a 6-0 start as quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase has another outstanding game, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another. #20 Kansas State 24, Missouri 17: Missouri was considered a possible Big 12 contender in the preseason, but it is veteran coach Bill Snyder who leads the Wildcats to a very surprising 5-0 start, topping the Tigers behind 125 rushing yards from John Hubert and three rushing scores from quarterback Collin Klein. TASTY TURNOVERS #3 Oklahoma 55, #11 Texas 17: The Sooner defense forces five turnovers, returning three of them for touchdowns while Landry Jones throws for 367 yards and three touchdowns in one of the more one-sided Red River Rivalries in history. #5 Boise State 57, Fresno State 7: While Kellen Moore remains sensational (23-of-31, 254 yards, 3 TDs), the Bronco defense may be the real story in Boise as it forces four turnovers and doesn't allow Fresno State to cross midfield until the score was 30-0. #22 Arizona State 35, Utah 14: Utah starts solid and looks good, but key penalties and five turnovers let the Sun Devils pull away in the second half as Brock Osweiler throws for 307 yards and three touchdowns. Wake Forest 35, #23 Florida State 30: The Seminoles continue their slump, dropping their third straight game, this time turning the ball over five times to let Wake Forest win its fourth game in a row. YOU SHALL NOT PASS! #13 Georgia Tech 21, Maryland 16: Despite their least impressive offensive performance of the year (they entered the game ranked second in the nation in scoring), the Yellow Jackets improve to 6-0, matching their win total from last year as the defense holds the Terrapins to six completions in 24 attempts and just 86 yards. #14 Nebraska 34, Ohio State 27: Trailing by 21 in the second half, Taylor Martinez leads the Cornhuskers to their largest comeback in history, while the Nebraska defense holds the Buckeye passing game to just 6-of-18 completions and 108 yards. #18 South Carolina 54, Kentucky 3: The Gamecock defense holds Kentucky to just four completions and 16 passing yards while Steve Spurrier's decision to change quarterbacks is validated as Conor Shaw completes 26-of-39 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns in a blowout of Kentucky. STAR POWER #7 Stanford 48, Colorado 7: Andrew Luck throws for a season-best 370 yards with three touchdowns as the Cardinal cruises to victory over Pac-12 newcomer Colorado. #6 Oklahoma State 70, Kansas 28: Quarterback Brandon Weeden only needed a half to decimate the Jayhawks, throwing for five touchdown passes as the Cowboys build a 56-7 halftime advantage, then force four turnovers to keep Kansas out of the picture. #9 Oregon 43, California 15: The Ducks trailed 15-14 at the half, but LaMichael James shows why he's a Heisman favorite, tallying four runs of 30? yards and finishing with 239 rushing yards before leaving the game with a scary elbow injury - though his own diagnosis says he'll be back. #12 Michigan 42, Northwestern 24: The Wolverines trail 24-14 at the half, then Denard Robinson goes wild, throwing for 337 yards and two touchdowns and running for another 117 yards and two scores. #16 West Virginia 43, Connecticut 16: Geno Smith, who threw for a career-high 463 yards against the outstanding LSU defense, does it again, but this time his 450 yards and four touchdowns is plenty for the Mountaineers to win big. #25 Baylor 49, Iowa State 26: Robert Griffin, III, has his lowest passing output of the year with just 212 yards and one touchdown, but he makes up for it with his feet, running for a season-best 107 yards and another touchdown in a road blowout of the Cyclones.	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 sixth week of the football season: Austin Davis, Southern Miss (20-of-22, 284 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) Davis directs touchdown drives on nine of 13 attempts and runs for a touchdown while setting a school-record for completion percentage in leading the Golden Eagles to a 63-35 blowout of Navy to improve to 5-1. Zac Dysert, Miami (Ohio) (24-of-37, 342 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT) Dysert comes to life for the RedHawks, closing the game with three straight touchdowns as Miami erases a 28-14 deficit to pick up their first win of the year, 35-28, over Army. Landry Jones, Oklahoma (31-of-50, 367 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT) Jones picks apart the defense of the 11th-ranked team in the nation, registering his fourth 350-yard game of the year as the Sooners crush Texas, 55-17, in the Red River Rivalry. Andrew Luck, Stanford (26-of-33, 370 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) Luck throws for a season-high 370 yards and three more touchdowns in just over three quarters of action to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 13 with a 48-7 win over Pac-12 newcomer Colorado. Connor Shaw, South Carolina (26-of-39, 311 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT) Making his second career start, Shaw completes 26-of-39 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns as South Carolina posts its largest-ever margin of victory in an SEC game. Geno Smith, West Virginia (27-of-45, 449 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT) Smith tallied his second 400-yard game of the year as he lifts the Mountaineers after a slow start with a 23-point third quarter on route to a 43-16 win over UConn. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (23-of-25, 310 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT) Thomas has the best game of his young career, recording his first 300-yard game and setting a completion percentage record for the Frank Beamer-era, while also running for a pair of scores, including the go-ahead TD with 56 seconds to go, in a thrilling 38-35 ACC win over Miami. Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State (24-of-28, 289 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT) Weeden engineers a massive blowout of conference-foe Kansas, playing less than one half of football and throwing for five touchdowns and 289 yards with just four incompletions, leading the Cowboys to a 56-7 halftime advantage. TOP UPCOMING GAMES (current AP Rankings) #6 Oklahoma State at #22 Texas: Despite Texas' loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, this is a huge Big 12 game with the Cowboys continuing to climb in the rankings. If OSU can stay undefeated, Bedlam on Dec. 3 could be the biggest game in school history. #15 South Carolina at Mississippi State: The Gamecocks had their best quarterback performance of the year with Connor Shaw taking over the reins; now they get to see if they can make it two in a row against a solid Bulldog defense. Florida at #24 Auburn: Both teams are reeling a bit after suffering somewhat lopsided losses, but Florida still looks to claw its way back into the SEC East race, while Auburn hopes to get back to its winning ways. #20 Baylor at #21 Texas A&M: Robert Griffin, III, has Baylor poised for one of its greatest seasons in history, while Texas A&M looks to spoil the fun for its state rival and remain in the Top-25. #18 Arizona State at #9 Oregon: The Sun Devils have had a great start, posting a 5-1 record and holding first in the Pac-12 South, while Oregon is tied for the top spot in the Pac-12 North. The Ducks may be without star running back LaMichael James, who suffered an elbow injury. #11 Michigan at #23 Michigan State: Always a great rivalry game, the season started with Michigan State talking of Big Ten titles and Michigan still in rebuilding mode. Instead, a loss to Notre Dame sent the Spartans out of the rankings (until this week) and a perfect start has vaulted the Wolverines to No. 11. #1 LSU at Tennessee: The Tigers looked very impressive in rolling over Florida without its starting quarterback; now they get to try again, but this time on the road, as Tennessee lost its standout QB Tyler Bray to a broken thumb. #19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest: The Hokies remain one of the top teams in the ACC, but Wake Forest has quietly opened the year with three straight league wins and will show itself to be a top contender in the league with a home victory over Tech. 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. Notre Dame (updates Tuesday) College Football News: LSU vs. Boise State SI.com (Mandel): 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 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 fake punt by LSU's Brad Wing, who also gave the country a very visible demonstration of the new rule regarding celebrations.