News / Allstate Sugar Bowl

Oct. 31 College Football Recap

Monday, November 2, 2009

Here's a brief look at the highlights of the ninth week of the college football season, a week highlighted by impressive defensive play as three top-25 teams posted shutouts and 10 teams held their opponents below 20 points. Following the first nine weeks of the season, 32 teams are now bowl-eligible - on the flip side, just nine teams are out of the running for bowls. The rankings used in this recap are from the BCS Standings from Oct. 25.

Upsets!No. 10 Oregon 47, No. 5 USC 20: Result is not shocking, but score is. Oregon's Chip Kelly making a serious case for National Coach of the Year honors after inauspicious opener.
North Carolina 20, No. 13 Virginia Tech 17: Last second field goal for Tar Heels ensures that ACC will continue to be a mess.
South Florida 30, No. 21 West Virginia 19: Dual-threat QB B.J. Daniels' 336 yards of offense leads USF to key victory.
Tennessee 31, No. 23 South Carolina 13: Lane Kiffin continues to impress as defense has allowed two offensive TDs in last 12 quarters.
Auburn 33, No. 25 Ole Miss 20: Auburn's offense gets back on track, but two INTs by Walt McFadden key the victory.

Every Second CountsNo. 18 Houston 50, Southern Miss 43: Case Keenum throws for 559 yards, but needs his fifth TD pass with 57 seconds left to clinch victory.
No. 19 Miami 28, Wake Forest 27: Touchdown pass with 68 seconds to go puts 'Canes on top; Wake missed last-second 60-yard field goal attempt.
No. 24 California 23, Arizona State 21: Cal's 24-yard field goal with 21 seconds to go lifts the Bears to key road victory.

Defense Wins Ball GamesNo. 1 Florida 41, Georgia 17: Gators clinch SEC East by holding Bulldogs to just 286 yards (pictured above).
No. 3 Texas 41, No. 14 Oklahoma State 14: Two interception returns for TDs set the tone as Longhorns roll on the road.
No. 4 Iowa 42, Indiana 24: Trailing 21-7 at the half, Hawkeyes use 88-yard INT-return TD to open scoring in 35-3 second half.
No. 6 TCU 41, UNLV 0: Horned Frogs get first shutout since 2007 and have allowed 13 points in last three games.
No. 7 Boise State 45, San Jose State 7: Two turnovers lead to TDs and Spartans manage just 221 total yards.
No. 8 Cincinnati 28, Syracuse 7: Backup QB leads Bearcats once again; defense forces two red-zone turnovers.
No. 9 LSU 42, Tulane 0: Final contracted meeting in long-time series ends with LSU's first shutout of Greenies since 1969.
No. 11 Georgia Tech 56, Vanderbilt 31: Vandy leads 31-28 in the third before Tech defense pulls together.
No. 12 Penn State 34, Northwestern 13: Down 10-3 in the second, Penn State's defense pitches second-half shutout and offense comes to life.
No. 16 Utah 22, Wyoming 10: Utes hold Wyoming to 74 total yards in second half as 19 unanswered points put game away.
No. 17 Ohio State 45, New Mexico State 0: Third shutout of season for Buckeyes who now prepare for Penn State and Iowa in back-to-back weeks.
No. 23 Notre Dame 40, Washington State 14: Irish finally get a routine victory as Cougars manage just 206 yards of offense.

Joining the BCS Standings:No. 21 Wisconsin: Badgers improve to 6-2 with 37-0 shutout of Purdue.
No. 24 Oklahoma: Sooners have lost three games by a total of five points; this weekend's 42-30 win over Kansas lifts them back into rankings.
No. 25 South Florida: Bulls climb back to rankings after upending West Virginia.

This Week's Key Games (with new BCS rankings)No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama: Crimson Tide can clinch SEC West with victory; LSU can jump back into BCS picture with upset.
No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State: Key Big Ten showdown will likely decide a BCS bid - loser is likely out.
No. 7 Boise State at Louisiana Tech (Friday): One of two remaining road games for Broncos, who look to continue undefeated season.
No. 12 USC at Arizona State: Another loss for USC and Trojans likely out of BCS bowl for first time since 2001.

Manning Award Stars of the WeekFrom the players currently on the Watch List for the Manning Award, here are some of the standout stars from week nine:

Levi Brown, Troy (28-of-41, 378 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT)
Defeating UL Monroe, 42-21, keeps Trojans in driver's seat for New Orleans Bowl bid.

Jacory Harris, Miami (22-of-44, 322 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)
Harris throws game-winning TD with 1:08 remaining to keep Hurricanes BCS hopes alive.

Case Keenum, Houston (44-of-54, 559 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT)
Sets school record for yards with best total in nation this year and clinches win with TD pass with 21 clicks to go.

Adam Weber, Minnesota (19-of-31, 416 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT)
Gophers lose top receiver, but Weber steps up for huge game in 42-34 upset of Michigan State.

Russell Wilson, North Carolina State (20-of-30, 349 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INT)
Big passing day for Wilson not enough for Wolfpack as defense can't slow down Seminoles.

Manning Award Players to WatchWhile the final additions have been made to the Manning Award Watch List, all quarterbacks remain eligible to win the award. Here's a look at ninth-week numbers from quarterbacks who are not on the Watch List:

Zach Collaros, Cincinnati (22-of-28, 295 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT)
In two games, backup QB is amazing 47-of-63 for 749 yards, nine TDs and one INT while rushing for 213 yards and two more scores.

B.J. Daniels, South Florida (13-of-26, 232 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT)
South Florida upsets West Virginia and Daniels adds 104 rushing yards - his own total offense topped the Mountaineers.

Kevin Riley, Cal (27-of-44, 351 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT)
Career-high passing yardage for Riley included 5-of-6 effort on game-winning drive in final minute.

Updated Allstate Sugar Bowl ProjectionsCBS Sports: Alabama vs. Cincinnati
ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach: Alabama vs. Cincinnati
ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman: Alabama vs. Cincinnati
College Football News: Alabama vs. TCU
SI.com's Stewart Mandel: Florida vs. TCU
The Sporting News' Matt Hayes: Alabama vs. TCU
Times-Picayune's Ted Lewis: Alabama vs. Cincinnati
Rivals.com: Alabama vs. TCU