Results of Last Week's Games to Watch
1. West Virginia Mountaineers @ #5 TCU Horned Frogs
The Horned Frogs jumped out to a 17 point lead in the 1st quarter after scoring on each of their first 3 possessions. West Virginia scored 10 straight points on back-to-back drives in the 2nd quarter, but would be held scoreless the rest of the game. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin put together another fantastic showing, throwing for almost 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, 2 of which were hauled in by sensational wide receiver Josh Doctson. Even Horned Frogs' kicker, Jaden Oberkrom, played great, booting a career long 57 yard field goal just before the half!
Final Score: TCU 40 West Virginia 10
This excellent defensive showing bodes well for TCU, seeing how they will face 2 of the nation's highest scoring offenses in Baylor and Oklahoma in the coming weeks.
2. #11 Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Just as I thought, the Georgia offense remained stagnant through most of the game, showing only short bursts of life. Gators quarterback Treon Harris connected on a 66 yard TD reception to wide receiver Antonio Callaway and avoided throwing any interceptions. Florida running back Kelvin Taylor provided the rest of the spark for the offense, rushing for 121 yards and 2 TD's. Adding to the frustrations of Georgia fans, the Gators defense came up with 4 interceptions and also recovered a muffed punt in the endzone for the 1st points of the game.
Final Score: Florida 27 Georgia 3
After this key victory, the Gators are guaranteed a spot in the SEC Championship Game where they will most likely face the winner of next Saturday's showdown between LSU and Alabama. More on that later.
Most Exciting Game of the Week
Oregon Ducks @ Arizona State Sun Devils
This game happened while most of us were sleeping, but it kept a bunch of fans up very late. Buckle your seat belts for a wild ride.
Fast forward to 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and Arizona State has just scored a touchdown to take a 31-20 lead. Oregon Head Coach Mark Helfrich knows his team needs to respond with a touchdown of their own in order to stay in the game. The Ducks score before their offense even sets foot on the field, as wide receiver Charles Nelson returns the ensuing kickoff the length of the field for a pivotal touchdown!. 2 possessions later, Oregon takes the lead on an explosive 62 yard TD run by running back Kani Benoit.
Arizona State returns the favor in the 4th quarter, scoring 10 points within 5 minutes, thanks to the great passing and superb leadership of senior quarterback Mike Bercovici. Down by a score of 41-34, Oregon goes 3 and out on the ensuing drive, giving Arizona State a chance to put the game away. Four plays later, however, Bercovici's pass is intercepted at the Oregon 40 yard line. Five minutes remain and it's now or never for the Ducks.
Ten hard-fought plays later, Oregon has a 1st and Goal at the 8 yard line. Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. throws an incompletion on 1st and 2nd down and a trick play fails on 3rd down. Now only 12 seconds remain, and the Ducks are holding on to a wing and a prayer. The ball is snapped and Adams is forced to scramble backwards and to his right to avoid the blitz. Adams is fast running out of options and heaves the ball to the back of the endzone in front of the goal posts. Two receivers, Dwayne Stanford and Johnny Mundt, are in the area along with an Arizona State defender. All 3 of them jump into the air simultaneously as the ball approaches. Stanford collides with Mundt just as he catches the ball. Somehow, he hangs onto the ball and falls on his backside just barely in bounds. Adams races over to celebrate with Stanford, but they both know overtime is fast approaching.
Adams finds Stanford again on the very first play of overtime for a 25 yard pass that gets Oregon a touchdown within one play. Arizona State answers with a 6 play drive that reaches the endzone on the strength of Bercovici's arm and legs. In the 2nd overtime, Arizona State gets the ball first. After 2 plays net only 7 yards, Bercovici escapes from the pocket on third down, sidesteps a defender and dives into the endzone for a 18 yard TD. The Ducks' run game provides the spark they need to lengthen the game even further, as running back Royce Freeman received the handoff 4 out of the 5 plays of their drive, scoring a one yard TD on his final carry.
The order of the possessions switch once again and Oregon gets a chance to strike first. 3 plays later they find their target when Adams completes a pass to wide receiver Bralon Addison for a 20 yard TD. However, the Ducks fail the mandatory 2 point conversion, giving the Sun Devils an opportunity they were looking for. On the 1st play of their drive, Bercovici completes a 22 yard pass that sets his offense up with a 1st and Goal from the 3 yard line. After an incompletion on 1st down, Bercovici looks to pass again on 2nd down. Standing in his way is Oregon defensive back Arrion Springs. He sees the pass coming, steps into the passing lane, and intercepts the pass. He takes a knee in the endzone, ending the game.
The Ducks fly onto the field to celebrate a thrilling overtime victory. Arizona State fans stare down in disappointment, wondering how their team let this game slip away.
The order of the possessions switch once again and Oregon gets a chance to strike first. 3 plays later they find their target when Adams completes a pass to wide receiver Bralon Addison for a 20 yard TD. However, the Ducks fail the mandatory 2 point conversion, giving the Sun Devils an opportunity they were looking for. On the 1st play of their drive, Bercovici completes a 22 yard pass that sets his offense up with a 1st and Goal from the 3 yard line. After an incompletion on 1st down, Bercovici looks to pass again on 2nd down. Standing in his way is Oregon defensive back Arrion Springs. He sees the pass coming, steps into the passing lane, and intercepts the pass. He takes a knee in the endzone, ending the game.
The Ducks fly onto the field to celebrate a thrilling overtime victory. Arizona State fans stare down in disappointment, wondering how their team let this game slip away.
Final Score: Oregon 61 Arizona State 55 (3OT)
Top 2 Games to Watch: Week 10
1. #2 LSU Tigers @ #4 Alabama Crimson Tide: 11/7 at 8 p.m. on CBS
This game is a MUST WATCH!! Not only will the winner of this rivalry game most likely win the SEC West division (if Ole Miss doesn't win the rest of their games), they will also be a clear favorite to be selected as one of the 4 playoff teams. Adding to the stakes, College Gameday will broadcast their weekly 3 hour long pregame show from the Alabama campus. If LSU beats this pesky Alabama team, the Crimson Tide will be eliminated from playoff contention. That would make a great early Christmas present for me!
GOOOOOO TIGERS!!!
2. #8 TCU Horned Frogs @ #14 Oklahoma State Cowboys: 11/7 at 3:30 p.m. on FOX
This first major test for the Horned Frogs comes on the road in Stillwater, Oklahoma surrounded by 60,000 noisy fans dressed in orange. Boykin, Doctson, and running back Aaron Green, will have to play at the high level TCU fans are used to seeing if they are come home with a big victory. Thankfully, the way the Horned Frogs' defense is playing lately makes me think the offense won't have to do all the work.
My pick: TCU all the way!
Extra Point
I can't fail to mention the crazy desperation play that Miami used to beat Duke 30-27. Miami players lateraled the ball 8 times to piece together a 75 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. However, the officials totally bungled the review, completely missing the fact that one of the runners' knee was, in fact, down just before one of the lateral and overlooking at least 2 blocking penalties against Miami. It was an incredible play, but the replay officials should have gotten it right.
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