Week Ten Review: Red Raiders survive Longhorn comeback
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By Tim Letcher
NCAAFootball.com
The Texas Longhorns were looking to make it four straight wins over top 11 teams, but the magic ran out just before the streak could be completed, as Texas lost at Texas Tech 39-33 on Saturday night.
The Longhorns fell behind early and Texas Tech dominated the majority of the first half, taking a 22-6 lead into the break.
But in the third quarter, Mack Brown’s team fought back, and when Colt McCoy hit Malcolm Williams with a 91-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, the lead was down to three.
Texas Tech answered with a field goal, but the Longhorns took the lead on a Vondrell McGee run with 1:29 to go. Hunter Lawrence’s extra point was good, making it 33-32 Texas.
Just as quickly, though, the Red Raiders bounced off the mat and marched right back down the field. And when Graham Harrell hit Michael Crabtree with a 28-yard scoring strike with only one second remaining, the upset was true.
Both of these teams remain in the hunt for the Big 12 South title, as well as for the national title. And both McCoy and Harrell remain in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy.
Other than Texas Tech, Alabama was the main beneficiary of this upset, as the Tide moved to the top spot in the latest BCS rankings, with Texas Tech second and Penn State third. Texas is now fourth, with Florida fifth.
Teams on the rise
1. Texas Tech – Mike Leach had been looking for a signature victory against a ranked opponent, and boy did he get it. The best thing for Leach is, not only did it come against the top-ranked team in the land, but that team happens to be a Big 12 South rival, and the flagship university of the Lone Star State. The Red Raiders can’t rest this week, as Oklahoma State visits Lubbock.
2. Florida – After the entire Georgia team celebrated the first Bulldog touchdown in last year’s game by racing onto the field, the Gators were seething. They went on to lose that one 42-30, but they thought about the incident all summer. And it showed. The Gators dominated Georgia, winning 49-10 on Saturday in Jacksonville. And remember that Tebow guy? He put himself back in the Heisman Trophy discussion, accounting for five touchdowns in the game.
3. West Virginia – The Mountaineers are certainly not having the type of season that they had hoped for, but they aren’t letting the whole thing go to waste, either. First-year coach Bill Stewart has rallied his troops, who are now 6-2 on the season after a 35-13 win at Connecticut on Saturday. West Virginia finds itself alone in first place in the Big East with four games left to play. Arguably the biggest game left on the schedule is the Backyard Brawl in Pittsburgh on November 28th, where WVU will try to get some revenge for last year’s loss to the Panthers in Morgantown.
4. Miami (Fla.) – Randy Shannon’s team has had an up-and-down year, but after Saturday’s 24-17 overtime win at Virginia, they have now won four in a row. The Hurricanes also find themselves in second place in the ACC’s Coastal Division, behind only Georgia Tech, who the play on November 20th. After last season’s disappointing 5-7 campaign, the ‘Canes should be back in the postseason this year.
5. North Texas – Almost nothing has gone right for the Mean Green this year, but they finally got into the win column on Saturday with a 51-40 win at Western Kentucky. North Texas outscored the Hilltoppers 20-6 in the fourth quarter to come from behind and win. Quarterback Giovanni Vizza threw for four touchdowns in the win.
Teams needing to regroup
1. Tulsa – The one huge result of the weekend that virtually no one is talking about is Tulsa’s loss at Arkansas. If the Golden Hurricane had prevailed, they likely would have finished unbeaten and could’ve snuck into the BCS. But the 30-23 loss in Fayetteville derailed those dreams, and Tulsa is left with hopes of winning Conference USA and going to the Liberty Bowl.
2. Auburn – On Saturday in Oxford, the Tigers once again failed to put together any type of offense, losing 17-7 to Ole Miss. And this one hurt quite a bit, because the Tigers are now 4-5 on the season, and must win against either Georgia or Alabama, in addition to beating FCS member Tennessee-Martin, to become bowl-eligible.
3. Washington – With the North Texas win over Western Kentucky (see above), Washington is now the only winless team in the FBS. As expected, the Huskies were crushed by USC, 56-0. And that’s with Pete Carroll calling off the dogs. It was 42-0 at halftime. Washington’s only legitimate shot at a win on the season comes on November 22nd, when they face rival Washington State in Pullman.
4. Minnesota – Before Saturday’s game against Northwestern, the Golden Gophers had visions of the Rose Bowl dancing in their heads. But it’s a little too early for the holiday stories, and it was too early to be thinking of Pasadena, as Minnesota lost to Northwestern 24-17. Minnesota is still much-improved over last season, and has a shot to win three straight to close the regular season, but this loss, especially at home, was unexpected.
5. South Florida – Last season, the Bulls opened with six straight wins, then proceeded to lose three in a row. This year, USF opened with five straight wins, but has now lost three of four, after Thursday’s 24-10 loss at Cincinnati. The Bulls are tied for last in the Big East, and can certainly use this week’s open date to regroup before the season’s final three games.
Players making a name for themselves
1. Jake Sharp, Kansas – Sharp had 181 yards rushing on 21 carries and four touchdowns, and added 76 yards receiving as the Jayhawks beat rival Kansas State 52-21.
2. Brian Brunner, Central Michigan – The backup quarterback had the game of his career, hitting on 35-of-53 passes for 485 yards and four touchdowns as the Chippewas upset Indiana 37-34 in Bloomington.
3. Leonard Johnson, Iowa State – Johnson broke the FBS single-game record with 319 kickoff return yards on nine attempts in a 59-17 loss at Oklahoma State.
4. Diondre Borel, Utah State – Borel connected on 14-fo-19 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 87 yards as the Aggies knocked off Hawaii 30-14.
5. Tony Pike, Cincinnati – Playing with a broken (non-throwing) arm, Pike completed 20-of-28 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns as the Bearcats upset South Florida 24-10 at Nippert Stadium.
Five questions heading into this week
1. Will Texas Tech experience a letdown after the big upset over Texas? – They’d better not. With eighth-ranked Oklahoma State coming to town, the Red Raiders will need to be at the top of their game. After all, this is a team that had a shot at the end to beat Texas in Austin. That should be motivation enough for Tech.
2. Which one-loss team has the best chance of making the BCS national title game? – There are a number of possibilities at the moment, but Florida, USC and Texas appear to be in the best positions. Florida is playing out of this world right now, and could run the table and win the SEC title game, which would put them in a really strong position. USC could also run the table, but the weak strength of schedule is going to hurt the Trojans. And Texas is still in position to win the Big 12 South, so the Longhorns could also work their way in, if things fall in their favor. Left out of this discussion was Oklahoma. Voters proved last year that if you don’t win your division in your conference, you likely won’t make the BCS national title game (see Georgia, 2007).
3. What did Saturday’s results do to the Heisman Trophy race? – Those results opened the race to about four players. Before the game, Colt McCoy appeared to have the market cornered. Now, McCoy, Graham Harrell, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow are in a race to the finish for college football’s top prize.
4. Who will represent the Big East in the BCS? – It’s hard to say at this point, but West Virginia looks pretty good right now. The rivalry game against Pittsburgh later this month could be the deciding factor in that race. But don’t count out Cincinnati. The Bearcats visit Morgantown this weekend, and with an upset there, they would be in the driver’s seat to win the Big East title.
5. Is the ACC better than people think? – The ACC doesn’t have a dominant team, as it has had in the past. What the conference does offer is a group of teams that are good, not great. There are four ACC teams ranked in the latest coaches poll, but the highest is North Carolina at No. 19. The Tar Heels, along with Georgia Tech, Maryland and Florida State are good teams, with Miami, Boston College, Virginia and Wake Forest serving as a second level in the ACC.
Five big games for this week
No. 1 Alabama at No. 15 LSU – Many LSU fans have been waiting for this one for quite some time. Ever since Saban said he wasn’t leaving the Miami Dolphins to become the head coach at Alabama, then did just that, LSU fans have been wanting him to bring the Tide to Baton Rouge. It finally happens this weekend, and the game couldn’t be bigger, especially with Alabama now ranked number one in the national polls. Les Miles and the Tigers will be attempting to play spoiler in this game.
No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 3 Texas Tech – Congratulations, Red Raiders. You just beat the top-ranked team in the country on a last-second touchdown and secured perhaps the biggest win in school history. Your reward? A visit from No. 8 Oklahoma State, who played that same Texas team down to the wire, in Austin, only a couple of weeks ago.
No. 11 TCU at No. 9 Utah (Thursday) – BCS Busters beware. One of these two teams will fall out of BCS contention after this one. TCU is known for its defense, and that will be a definite challenge to Brian Johnson, Darrell Mack and the Utes, who are averaging better than 36 points per game. TCU actually leads the Mountain West race, with a 6-0 record, but Utah is on their heels at 5-0. This one will play a role in who wins the (Mountain) West.
No. 12 Ohio State at No. 25 Northwestern – The jockeying for position in the Big Ten standings continues, and this game will have a huge impact on that. Every team is chasing Penn State at this point, including the 4-1 Buckeyes and the 3-2 Wildcats. Both of these teams are 7-2 overall, and this game could affect the type of bowls that these teams are selected to play in. Of course, with an upset of Penn State along the way, this game could also affect who’s playing in Pasadena on January 1st.
No. 20 Georgia Tech at No. 19 North Carolina – The Yellow Jackets continue to be the surprise of the ACC, at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the conference. They lead the Coastal Division entering this weekend. Butch Davis’ Tar Heels are 6-2 and 2-2, and this game is huge for them, as they have a couple of seemingly winnable games (Duke and N.C. State) at the end of the schedule, after a trip to Maryland. A win against Georgia Tech, and Carolina could be in the ACC title game. Same goes for Tech, as their only remaining ACC game, after this one, is at home against Miami.
FCS Headlines
No. 2 Appalachian State smoked No. 3 Wofford 70-24 on Halloween night. With the game tied at 14 late in the first quarter, the Mountaineers went on a 35-3 run to put the game away.
Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moses set NCAA records for pass attempts (85) and completions (57) in a 34-31 double overtime loss to Sam Houston State.
Division II Headlines
No. 19 West Chester upset fourth-ranked Bloomsburg 24-21 in a key PSAC matchup.
Sixth-ranked North Alabama downed Arkansas-Monticello 45-14.
Division III Headlines
Seventh-ranked Millsaps thumped No. 8 Trinity (Texas) 56-27.
Fifth-ranked Washington & Jefferson was stunned by Thomas More 35-29.
