Riding the nation's longest winning streak of 18 games, the UCF Knights faced their toughest test of the year on a road trip to play the Memphis Tigers. After the Knights scored the game's 1st touchdown on a short run by running back Taj McGowan, UCF eventually fell behind by a score of 20-7 five minutes into the 2nd quarter. UCF's star quarterback McKenzie Milton cut the deficit in half with a 75 pass completion for a touchdown to wide receiver Gabe Davis, but Memphis responded with a drive that ended with a field goal. The Knights' offense then went cold, giving the Tigers the ball right back, an opportunity they used to complete a quick touchdown drive. UCF tallied a field goal before the half but still faced a sizable 30-17 deficit.
Things looked much the same until a light rain starting to fall in the 3rd quarter. The drizzle increased to a steady rainfall, which caused 3 consecutive turnovers by the teams. However, the Knights adjusted quicker to the changing conditions and on 4th and 1 play in the third quarter, the comeback began. Using a clever play in which they snapped the ball quickly after a lot of big lineman strode up to the line of scrimmage, a play that you can rely on to usually get you a yard or two, Taj McGowan instead broke completely through for an unexpected 71 yard TD run. The Knights would end up take the lead on a brave touchdown run by McKenzie and barely hang on for a one-point victory. The 31-30 triumph extends their winning streak to 19 games!
Another Exhilarating Week of Chaos
Like a jokester that comes around to poke you in the ribs, the sneaky character known as "Chaos in the Top 25" made another appearance. A total of 7 teams in the Top 25 were defeated Saturday, including 4 in the Top 10 alone. For sake of brevity I will focus on those.
The #2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs traveled to face the LSU Tigers in the hostile confines of a stadium known as "Death Valley" and lost by a large margin of 38-13, their tails. between their legs. #7 Washington was tripped up by the Oregon Ducks in a narrow loss in overtime 30-27. Back in the eastern part of the country, in Pennsylvania, Penn State hosted unranked Michigan State but had a poor offensive performance and fell 21-17.
But, the most meaningful upset to me was Iowa State's shocking victory over undefeated West Virginia 30-13. It was a momentous win, especially because Iowa State had a losing record prior to the game, and the fans had no qualms about rushing the field just after the final play.
It reminds me of a similar win by Iowa State 7 years ago. This time it was a Thursday night game in which they derailed Oklahoma State's well-defined track to the National Championship Game with a come-from-behind victory that finished up in overtime. The fans rushed the field then too, filling the night air with their voices singing along to "Sweet Caroline," the song they traditionally sing after important home victories. The cameras continued to roll, showing a little girl hoisted atop her father's shoulders singing along too. I stayed glued to the TV, soaking up all I could of the magical moments being shown. It's just something about the enthusiasm of the fans, the surprise of an upset, and the passion of the fans that is so wonderful to watch. This was definitely one of the moments that endeared college football to my heart.
Wolverines Win Big in "The Big House."
Michigan's gigantic stadium seats over 100,000 people, and the Michigan faithful were treated to some satisfying action.
I was dining at Scotty's Brewhouse, an excellent sports bar in Punta Gorda, watching this game. But distracted by conversation with some fellow football enthusiasts and the other games on the various TV's, the first quarter was over before I knew it. I thought, "That's traditional Big Ten football for you, offense predicated on running the ball and controlling the clock." At that point, the score was knotted at 0-0, but that soon changed when Michigan scored their first rushing touchdown of the game . Wisconsin's reply came in the form of a touchdown of their own by way of a 33 yard scoring run by wide receiver Kendric Pryor.
After that, however, it was all Michigan. The Wolverine defense, statistically the best in the nation, lived up to their billing, locking Wisconsin's offense down tight, giving Michigan plenty of time to start dominating with their running game. The Wolverines ended up with 320 yards rushing, with a rushing touchdown for each of their top three running backs. The Michigan defense scored as well with an interception return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter and the game was just about put to bed.
With this win, Michigan appears to the top challenger to Ohio State in the Big Ten East. However, their rivalry game will be played in Ohio State's famous "Horseshoe" Stadium, not "The Big House."
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