I am back in the saddle after a heavy travel week. My apologies for having nothing new over the weekend, but I'm back and ready to rock for the stretch run to the national championship games for both the FBS and FCS. Lets take a look by conference at who passed and who failed over the weekend.
ACC
NC State 28, Florida State 24
Pass: Russell Wilson dumped in a one yard pass to George Bryan with 2:44 left to complete the comeback, as NC State trailed 21-7 at the half. NC State's history of tormenting the Seminoles is alive and well.
Fail: Wasn't FSU trying to hype Chritian Ponder for a Hiesman run this season? Didn't I laugh about it? Right on both counts, as Ponder fumbled the game away for the Seminoles, and continues on one of the most average season's in QB history for a guy that constantly gets hyped.
Virginia 24, Miami 19
Pass: Keith Payne rushed for 2 scores, the Cavs built a 24-0 lead, and the Virginia proved that it could beat someone outside of the FCS (that means you, Eastern Michigan).
Fail: The Cavs damn near blew it in the 4th quarter, and had to sweat way too much to pull off the win. Randy Shannon continues to lose head scratchers. Jacory Harris continued his China Doll like ways, and the Hurricanes were forced to burn the redshirt of QB Stephen Morris.
Boston College 16, Clemson 10
Pass: Nate Freese's 3 FGs set up the Eagles to win at home.
Fail: Boring football game see's Clemson lose a game that it should not have to a team that did little on offense to deserve it. 3 turnovers didn't do any good either. Oh yeah, and Kyle Parker sucks. He should have left to play baseball.
Duke 34, Navy 31
Pass: Sean Renfree completed an astounding 28 of 30 passes in the game, and Duke pulled off a sizable upset win, which was must needed.
Fail: Duke, like Virginia, built up a huge lead, only to nearly blow it all in the 4th. This was how Navy responded after beating Notre Dame last week?
Maryland 62, Wake Forest 14
Pass: I guess the Terps really want that bowl bid...Danny O'Brien passed for 4 scores on the day, and Maryland sent a message.
Fail: I think that I may have to find a place for Jim Grobe on the hot seat after this one. This was just another rout in a season of bad football for the young Deacons, but youth only sells for a season or two.
North Carolina 21, William & Mary 14
Pass: Johnny White busted loose on a 67 yard score with 5:45 left in the game to give the Tar Heels a scary win over one of the top teams in the FCS.
Fail: Only a mild fail, but the Tribe had a 17-7 lead at the half and blew it in the 4th. Defensively played with UNC the entire game.
BIG 12
Oklahoma State 24, Kansas State 14
Pass: Even without Justin Blackmon, the COwboys found enough to get it done. Kendell Hunter rushed for 243 yards and Branden Weeden passed for 298 yards and a pair of scores. It wasn't pretty, but OSU will take it.
Fail: Carson Coffman had another one of his crappy games, as he tossed a pair of picks and then went peace out with an injury. Everyone keeps waiting for this kid to blow up, but it's never really going to happen. 4.9 yards per attempt is just garbage play calling.
Iowa State 28, Kansas 16
Pass: The Cyclones continue to get better as Alexander Robinson, Shontrelle Johnson, and Jeff Woody all rushed for scores while Alonso Rojas returned a punt for 62 yards to score another.
Fail: Kansas just continues to suck.
Texas A&M 45, Texas Tech 27
Pass: Ryan Tannehill won the QB job in practice and then went out and passed for 449 yards and 4 scores on the day, while Mike Sherman kept the wolves at bay for another week.
Fail: Both defenses, as a total of 1,075 yards of offense was rolled up by both squads combined.
Nebraska 31, Missouri 17
Pass: I just love it when I am right. Roy Helu rushed for 307 yards and 3 scores, and the Huskers built a 24-0 lead in the 1st quarter to knock off the previously undefeated Tigers.
Fail: Exactly as I had forseen it to happen, the Tigers came in hung over from their big win over Oklahoma last weekend, and now have handed the Huskers the Big 12 North title on a platter. If Missouri loses again, it will be off to mid-tier bowl land again. Blaine Gabbert was awful.
Baylor, 30, Texas 22
Pass: The Bears have officially arrived. Robert Griffin rallied the Bears with 2 scoring strikes in the 4th to bring Baylor back from behind. The Bears are bowl bound, but with the right spin, bigger things are still on the table.
Fail: Texas is just terrible this season. Garrett Gilbert failed to toss a TD once again, and once again managed at least one turnover. He did rush for a score, but let's be real here...he is not getting it done. The Horn's first 4 scores were on FGs.
Oklahoma 43, Colorado 10
Pass: Landry Jones shredded the Buffs for 453 yards and 4 scores, and OU is showing that they are not dead in the Big 12 race after the loss to Missouri.
Fail: Dan Hawkins just belly flopped into the dead pool this week. Colorado must now make a change at HC to have any shot at developing in the new PAC 12.
BIG EAST
UConn 16, West Virginia 13
Pass: Jordan Todman rushed for a hard earned 113 yards, and the D shut down the Mountaineers after WVU went up 10-0 early. Zach Frazer got back in at QB, and did nothing to lose the game for the Huskies.
Fail: Geno Smith and Noel Devine each did little to inspire Mountaineer fans, and Smith averaged under 5 yards per pass attampt on the day.
Pittsburgh 20, Louisville 3
Pass: The D forced 2 turnovers and held Louisville to 185 yards. The offense was garbage, but a win is a win.
Fail: The passing game was absent for the Cardinals, and Bilal Powell was injured after rushing for 64 yards on 11 carries.
Syracuse 31, Cincinnati 7
Pass: The Orangemen can actually win the Big East. Does anyone else think that this is a strange event?
Fail: Chazz Anderson got his the start at QB for the banged up Zack Collaros, and the two z's at the end of his first name pretty much explained the Bearcat's game play.
BIG TEN
Northwestern 20, Indiana 17
Pass: Dan Persa passed for 2 scores on the day, and the Cats held off the Hoosiers late.
Fail: It's official...Ben Chappell may be the only player on offense for the Hoosiers that's worth anything. If you bet the 3.5 line in favor of Northwestern, you are really hating the Cats today.
Illinois 44, Purdue 10
Pass: Nathan Scheelhaase passed for 4 scores on the day, and the Illini took advantage of the injury prone Boilers early.
Fail: #3 QB Sean Robinson was pressed into service and was held to 7 of 20 passing for 52 yards. That's what we call fucking ugly.
Iowa 37, Michigan State 6
Pass: Ricky Stanzi only attempted 15 passes on the day, but 3 of them went for scores, and the Hawkeyes had a 30-0 lead at the half over the previously unbeaten Spartans. The D was incredible, holding MSU to just 31 yards rushing.
Fail: The run game was gone, and Kirk Cousins looked like a cat caught in the dryer. He made bad throws one after another, and the Spartans are now out of the national title picture.
Penn State 41, Michigan 31
Pass: Evan Royster finally woke up and rushed for 2 scores, while Matt McGloin made the most of his first start by passing for 250 yards on the day for the Lions.
Fail: Once again, Denard Robinson was the only Wolverine to get off of the bus, and MIchigan has lost 3 straight. Here come the hot seat flames, Rich Rodriguez.
Ohio State 52, Minnesota 10
Pass: Terrelle Pryor passed for 2 scores and rushed for another as the Buckeyes did what they should have done, blasted the Gophers into oblivion.
Fail: Does Jeff Horton think that his Gophers are having fun yet? They must have scrimmaged Ohio State on their PSP's this week to prepare for the Buckeyes rather than actually practice on the field. It's friggin cold in Minneapolis this time of year anyway.
CONFERENCE USA
UAB 50, Southern Mississippi 49 (2OT)
Pass: Don't look now, but Neil Calloway may have just crawled out of the dead pool and onto the regular hot seat. Gusty call at the end of the second OT to go for 2 and it worked. The Blazers are showing signs of life.
Fail: The Eagle D was the main culprit in the loss, but as good as Austin Davis was at times, his 3 picks were not a help either. Southern Miss falls flat again, and they are still no better now than they were when Jeff Bowers was there.
Tulsa 28, Notre Dame 27
Pass: I get that Notre Dame sucks, but this is still one of the biggest wins in Tulsa history and should be celebrated as such. Great win for a team that has been having a very average season.
Fail: This was a terrible loss after a terrible week for the Irish. Dayne Crist is done for the season, as is Armando Allen at RB, so things are turning into a nightmare for Brian Kelly quickly.
Marshall 16, UTEP 12
Pass: Tron Martinez rushed for 116 yards and punched it in with 1:50 remaining to give the Herd a huge win over the Miners. Was Tron wearing his neon suit when he scored? Was he riding on a really cool futuristic motor bike?
Fail: UTEP has now lost 3 straight, and Donald Buckram is not the guy that he was a season ago. This seaosn is heading south fast.
SMU 31, Tulane 17
Pass: Kyle Padron passed for a score and rushed for another, and Zach Line rushed for 177 yards and 2 scores to give the Mustangs the win. SMU went on a 21-0 run to win it in the 4th.
Fail: Total collapse for the Tulane D, who had a 17-10 lead going into the 4th.
UCF 49, East Carolina 35
Pass: Latavius Murray rushed for 3 scores, Ronnie Weaver rushed for 180 yards and 2 more scores, and Jeff Godfrey passed for a pair of scores as the Knights staked their claim for the East title.
Fail: ECU had little other than the arm of Dominique Davis in this game, and it cost them dearly, as UCF built a 42-21 lead. The D never got on track, and the Pirates now need a tremendous amount of help to jar the division title away from UCF.
Houston 56, Memphis 17
Pass: Dave Piland completed 20 of 23 passes for 5 scores and Houston rolled up a 35-3 lead at the half.
Fail: It's going to be a long and slow building process in Memphis, as the Tigers serve as cannon fodder one more time.
INDEPENDENTS
(See Navy notes in the ACC section, and Notre Dame in the CUSA section)
Army 29, VMI 7
Pass: Jarred Hassin and Trent Steelman each rushed for TDs in what was a very ugly win for the Cadets at home over FCS VMI.
Fail: VMI is a horrible FCS squad, and Army should have doubled what they did as far as production. Something isn't right here.
MAC
Northern Illinois 28, Western Michigan 21
Pass: Chandler Harnish hit Willie Clark form 21 yards out with 4:00 to go, and the Huskies get one step closer to the MAC title game. Harnish passed for 2 scores and rushed for another, while RB Chad Spann rushed for 146 yards and a score.
Fail: Another opportunity lost for the Broncos and coach Bill Cubit. Not getting it done.
Temple 30, Akron 0
Pass: Mike Gerardi passed for 209 yards and a score, and the Owls overcame a very sluggish start to knock out the winless Zips in Philly.
Fail: Akron put up a miserable 154 yards of offense and 8 1st downs for the game.
Ohio 38, UL-Lafayette 31
Pass: Boo Jackson passed for 3 scores and the Bobcats went on a 22 point binge to hold off the Cajuns despite Jackson's 4 pick day.
Fail: Brad McGuire had a huge day at QB, but it was all for nothing as the D could not keep Ohio from scoring at will in the 4th. Ricky Bustle has to go.
Miami (Ohio) 21, Buffalo 9
Pass: Zac Dysert passed for a pair of scores, and the Miami D did the rest to keep the Hawks alive.
Fail: No run game for the Bulls left freshman QB Alex Zordich alone on an island. He did what he could, but was limited.
Kent State 33, Ball State 14
Pass: Spencer Keith passed for 252 yards and a score, and the D picked BSU QB Keith Wenning 3 times.
Fail: 4th straight loss for the Cardinals, and not even RB MiQuale Lewis got off of the ground.
Bowling Green 17, Central Michigan 14
Pass: JOrdan Hopgood punched in a score from a yard out with 0:28 to go in the game, and the Falcons picked up only their 2nd win in 2010.
Fail: The Chippewas were held to 231 yards of offense and turned the ball over 3 times in a close game.
Toledo 42, Eastern Michigan 7
Pass: Terrence Owens passed for 234 yards and 4 scores, and the ROckets shredded the Eagles on the road.
Fail: EMU just continues to be awful. Ron English has one win in two seasons. This place is a coach grinder.
MOUNTAIN WEST
San Diego State 48, Wyoming 38
Pass: Ryan Lindley passed for 365 yards and the Aztecs survived a horrible game by Ronnie Hillman to win on the road.
Fail: The Cowboys kept it close all dya long, but could never do enough to pull ahead. A total failure this season to build off of the mementum form last season.
Colorado State 38, New Mexico 14
Pass: Leonard Mason rushed for 3 scores, and Pete Thomas had one of his better games, passing for 256 yards and a score, and the Rams crushed winless New Mexico.
Fail: The Lobos are completely terrible. Nothing more to say. Fire Mike Locksley now...before its too late...
Utah 28, Air Force 23
Pass: The Utes forced 5 turnovers from the Falcons and survived to go into a clash of the titans against undefeated TCU next week at home. Eddie Wide rushed for 2 scores on the day.
Fail: The Falcons went from being the dark horse to donkey in just a few short weeks. NO longer a factor in the MWC race.
TCU 48, UNLV 6
Pass: I was on the ramp at McCarran Airport in Vegas when the Frogs came off of the plane on Friday night. You could tell that they had already won the game. Andy Dalton passed for 2 scores and rushed for another, and TCU rolled up 530 yards of offense to cruise to a showdown with Utah next week.
Fail: Bobby Hauck can only look to next season, as his offense sucks badly. He had better recruit a QB and some skill players quickly.
PAC 10
Arizona 29, UCLA 21
Pass: Matt Scott passed for 319 yards and rushed for another 71, as Arizona held off the Bruins in the second half to hold onto a shot of winning the PAC 10.
Fail: I missed count on all of UCLA's missed tackles, including sack opportunities. Make half of those tackles, and maybe they win the game. This is also the most non-creative version of the Pistol that I have ever seen. Norm Chow, you suck.
Oregon State 35, California 7
Pass: Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 3 scores and the BEavers dominated the Bears at home to stay in the fringe of the conference race.
Fail: This is why I have Jeff Tedofrd on the hot seat. His team was not prepared, and you can't really blame Kevin Riley getting hurt.
Stanford 41, Washington 0
Pass: Stepfan Taylor rushed for 2 scores, and the D dominated on the road.
Fail: Jake Locker is awful. Anyone still thinking of drafting this kid must be stoned.
Arizona State 42, Washington State 0
Pass: Steven Threet passed for 3 scores, and the D forced 3 Cougar turnovers.
Fail: The Cougars rushed for 8 yards. Need anything else?
Oregon 53, USC 32
Pass: Darron Thomas passed for 4 TDs and LaMichael James rushed for 3, and the Ducks keep on plugging away towards the national championship game. Can anyone stop these guys?
Fail: Matt Barkley was ineffective, and Lane Kiffin took a lot of the blame by saying that he did not set him up to succeed this week. The D wasn't set up for success either. When USC took a 3 point lead, it only pissed of the Ducks.
SEC
South Carolina 38, Tennessee 24
Pass: Stephen Garcia accounted for 3 scores and Marcus Lattimore rushed for 184 yards and another score to lead the Gamecocks closer to the SEC title game.
Fail: The game was tied at 10 at the half, but the Vols turned the ball over 4 times, and one Matt Sims pick went for 6. The Vols have lost 4 straight.
Florida 34, Georgia 31 (OT)
Pass: Trey Burton rushed for 110 yards and 2 scores, and the Gators pulled out the win in OT. Chris Rainey rushed for a score in his return, and the Gators keep holding on.
Fail: It's safe to assume that Mark Richt is at least dangling his ankles in the dead pool with this loss.
Auburn 51, Ole Miss 31
Pass: Cameron Newton passed for 2 scores and caught another from backup QB Kodi Burns and the Tigers rolled big in their first week at #1 in the PRS. Imagine where the Tigers would be wihout him? Michael Dyer rushed for 180 yards in the effort.
Fail: The Rebels got plenty of effort from the offense, but the defense was just gone and gave up 572 yards to the Tigers.
Mississippi State 24, Kentucky 17
Pass: Chris Relf passed for one score and rushed for another, and Vick Ballard provided the difference maker as Dan Mullen has raised the stakes in Starkville.The Bulldogs are going bowling in just his second season.
Fail: Mike Hartline would probably give anything to get his 3 picks back. Hard to win a close game when UK turns it over 4 times.
Arkansas 49, Vanderbilt 14
Pass: Ryan Mallett passed for 409 yards and 3 scores, and the Razorbacks easily cruised to victory. Too bad that they cannot win the SEC West at this point.
Fail: Vandy passed for 36 yards on the game and lost leading rusher Warren Norman for the remainder of the season to injury.
SUN BELT
(See UL-Lafayette notes in the MAC section)
North Texas 33, Western Kentucky 6
Pass: Mike Canales picks up his first win as interm HC of the Eagles. Lance Dunbar rushed for 215 yards and 3 scores. It's like I have been saying for years...The Eagles have always won as a rush first team.
Fail: Not even Bobby Rainey could get the ball into the endzone this week for WKU. Willie Taggert has a lot of work to do. The defense was awful.
UL-Monroe 28, Troy 14
Pass: I have been very hard on ULM HC Todd Berry this season, so I'll give him credit. This was a great week for the Warhawks. Huge win, and it keeps Troy from waltzing away with the Sun Belt crown unchallenged.
Fail: The Troy run game never developed, and as great a win as this was for ULM, it was horrid for the Trojans. Troy still holds a narrow lead in the Sun Belt, but should be favored in their remaining league games.
Florida Atlantic 21, Florida International 9
Pass: The FAU D held FIU short in the red zone, and the Owls got a much needed win against their arch rivals this week. Jeff Van Kamp passed for a score, and Alfred Morris and Willie Floyd each rushed for one.
Fail: Wesley Carroll had 3 picks and no scores in what a game where those numbers could have reversed the outcome.
WAC
Boise State 49, Louisiana Tech 20
Pass: Lennon Creer rushed for 149 yards and 2 scores, Kellen Moore passed for 298 yards and 2 scores, and Austin Pettis passed for a score on a trick play as the Broncos blasted The Bulldogs.
Fail: Why was this game played on a Tuesday night? OUTLAW TUESDAY FOOTBALL!!!
New Mexico State 29, San Jose State 27
Pass: Matt Christian hit Taveon Rodgers from 8 yards out with 0:05 remaining to give the Aggies the win in the WAC's version of the toilet bowl. Chritian passed for 361 yards and also rushed for 74.
Fail: Still trying to figure out why the Aggies went for two after they had scores with 5 seconds left in the game. Doesn't make any sense to me.
Nevada 56, Utah State 42
Pass: Colin Kaepernick rushed for 102 yards and a score while passing for 190 and 2 more scores. 5 different Pack backs rushed for TDs, with Mike Ball rushing for 2.
Fail: The Aggie D wasted a brilliant game by Diondre Borel, and USU is officially eliminated from bowl consideration. Not like they were close to begin with.
Hawaii 45, Idaho 10
Pass: Bryant Moniz had another monster game, as he passed for 326 yards and 3 scores, and he rushed for one more score as well. Greg Salas had 11 catches for 168 yards for the Rainbows.
Fail: The Vandals turned the ball over 4 times and committed 14 penalties. No way to win when you do that.
The FCS Pass/Fail Report will be due out tonight.
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