Week 7
Results of Last Week's #1 Game to Watch
Auburn Tigers @ Mississippi State Bulldogs
Final Score: Mississippi State 38 Auburn 23
Halfway through the 1st quarter this game had already lost most of its luster. Quarterback Dak Prescott and the Mississippi State offense was unstoppable, receiving unnecessary aid by way of turnovers on each of Auburn's first 2 offensive plays. To describe the start of this game for Auburn as abysmal would be doing it little justice, as they soon were staring at a 21 point deficit. The Tigers refused to give up, however, and scored 13 straight points. The Tigers were within 8 points but gave up another touchdown late in the half. (28-13) Auburn scored again by way of a Nick Marshall TD pass, and they had 2 chances to tie the game up thanks to the efforts of their defense. Unfortunately, they failed both times and their defense had nothing left to stop the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs scored 10 unanswered points and finally put the Tigers back in their cages. After this impressive win, Mississippi State seems to be on track for taking home the national championship trophy.
Top 2 Most Exciting Games of the Week
1. Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs @ Baylor Bears
(I chose to write about a game that I normally would have summarized in the previous section because it was so exciting)
This thrilling game was played in Baylor's fantastic new McLane Stadium situated along the riverfront in Wako, Texas.
From the first snap, this game became an artful display of two opposing offenses that were playing at their full potential. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin and his offense lit up the scoreboard first with 2 quick touchdown drives that put up 14 points in the first 7 minutes. Then Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty and his offense fired back and scored 10 straight points. At the end of the 1st quarter the Horned Frogs led 14-10, but the fireworks were just beginning. Back and forth the offenses went down the field, and it seemed both defenses was not even there. The Bears and Horned Frogs both scored 17 points and the scoreboard read TCU 31, Baylor 27 at the end of the half. That is in the upper range of the final score of an entire NFL game! Due to the large number of drives each team had, and commercials, the 1st half took almost 2 hours to play. Halftime came at the perfect time for the fans, and the offenses for that matter, to catch their breath.
The third quarter flew by as the Horned Frogs hopped down the field on their way to 13 points, while the Bears remained in striking distance by clawing their way to ten points. The score was in TCU's favor 44 to 37. The 4th quarter would feature the biggest swing in momentum I have ever seen, and 38 total points!
TCU began the wild 4th quarter by scoring a touchdown at their first opportunity by way of a short run. Then Baylor had a chance to answer, but it backfired terribly as Petty threw an unwise pass over the middle which was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. The green and yellow clad Baylor fans were silent as their team was suddenly trailing by 3 whole touchdowns. But the Bears on the field were not about to disappoint them and played as hard as a mother bear would fight to defend her cubs.
The Baylor defense stepped up their efforts and allowed their offense to score touchdowns on 3 straight drives that lasted at the most for 1 minute and 23 seconds. Seemingly in the blink of an eye the momentum of the game had changed monumentally. With 4 minutes left, TCU tried mightily to recapture the momentum but the game had already slipped through their fingers. A pass from Boykin fell incomplete on third down and they had to punt the ball away with 1:11 remaining. Baylor had the ball and, with their now ecstatic fans urging them on, played for the win. Forced into their own 3rd down, Baylor gladly took advantage of a pass interference penalty on TCU, and managed to get the ball down to the TCU 11 yard line. With 4 seconds left, kicker Chris Callahan nailed the chip shot field goal and the stadium erupted in celebration. The TCU players somberly left the playing field as the party began in McLane Stadium.
(Quarterback Bryce Petty, left, celebrating with kicker Chris Callahan, right)
Final Score: Baylor 61 TCU 58
2. Brigham Young University (BYU) @ University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights
BYU came into Orlando on a wave of heartbreak. Their Heisman hopeful quarterback Taysom Hill went down with a broken leg during the 2nd quarter of their previous game against rival Utah State. The backup Christian Stewart was unprepared and was unable to lead the Cougars to a victory. That night they lost their hopes of going undefeated and their chance at possibly competing for a national championship. However, BYU has long been known as a physically tough team and they had legitimate hopes of bouncing back against UCF. The Knights, on the other hand, had lost their first two games against tough Penn State and Missouri teams. They turned the season around by destroying a cupcake team and narrowly beating Houston, a game they won thanks to a game saving forced fumble at the 1 yard line.
For UCF to win, their sophomore quarterback Justin Holman, who earned the starting job after a momentum-shifting performance against Penn State, would have to play smart. That's just want he did, as he helped his team to 10 points in 2 of their first 3 drives. However, Holman and the offense went silent for 2 quarters, as the UCF players and fans watched BYU score 24 straight points. With 9 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, BYU had a 24-10 lead. But the Knights remounted their horses and, with a mighty shout, charged back into the fray.
Holman and running back William Stanback led the Knights on a lengthy touchdown drive that gave their defense plenty of time to rest. The teams traded punts for the next few drives, until UCF tied it up on a bullet of a touchdown pass from Holman to receiver Josh Reese. The Knights defense continued to hold their ground and, with 2 minutes left, they had a chance to put together a game-winning drive. The offense got far enough to set up a 45 yard field goal. Unfortunately, the snap was bobbled and the holder covered it up. UCF coach George O'Leary had planned for this and called a timeout. The second chance would be from 52 yards, but it was just too long for the kicker and he missed it wide. Overtime it is!
The Knights got the ball first and moved forward to set up a 1st & Goal. 2 successive plays accomplished little and quickly it became 3rd & Goal. Greatly desiring a touchdown, Holman found running back Stanbeck and fired the ball to him for a crucial touchdown. BYU had to respond with a touchdown of their own to keep the game going. However, they soon found themselves in a 4th down situation. BYU quarterback Christian Stewart was forced to throw the ball into tight coverage and the pass fell harmlessly to the turf. "Knights win!" shouted the commentator. UCF at last has a winning record.
Final Score: UCF 31 BYU 24 (OT)
Top 2 Games to Watch: Week 8
1. No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ No. 2 Florida State Seminoles: 10/18 at 8 p.m. on ABC
Saying that this Top 5 matchup is critical for each team's championship hopes would be a huge understatement. The winner of this game will likely be one of the 4 teams selected for the first College Football Playoff. Will the luck of the Irish (they have been very fortunate recently) help Notre Dame to another close win? Or will Notre Dame's perfect season evaporate among the heated (and annoying) war cries of the Seminoles fans?
My pick: Notre Dame
2. No. 14 Kansas State Wildcats @ No. 15 Oklahoma State Cowboys: 10/18 at noon on ESPN
Which team will win this key Big 12 Conference showdown? Will the Cowboys shoot their way to a victory with their flashy offense or will Kansas State's dual-threat quarterback Jake Waters lead his Wildcats to a road victory?
My pick: Oklahoma State
Special Requests
From my Uncle Dave:
Georgia's incredibly talented running back Todd Gurley was suspended indefinitely for signing his autograph for money. Like it or not, that is against the rules in college football right now. Since, Gurley was the heart and soul of the entire team I thought that Georgia would have real trouble on the road against Missouri. But 2nd-string running back Nick Chubb stepped into his new role perfectly, using his powerful legs to spark the Bulldogs offense. The defense fed off of that and made Missouri look incredibly BAD on offense. The final tally was Georgia 34 to zip!
From my Aunt Karen:
The Illinois Fighting Illini were needing a victory against Big 10 Conference foe Wisconsin to reach a winning record. They played great in the first quarter, leading by a score of 14-7. Unfortunately, the incredibly tough Wisconsin running offense found their stride and the Badgers had a 38-14 lead in the 4th quarter. Illinois would make it look close by scoring 2 late touchdowns, but they fell short and lost 28 to 38. :(
If you want me to cover your favorite team's exploits feel free to e-mail me at fjohnathan28@gmail.com or comment on this post if you have a Google account.
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