College Football Week 12: Terrelle Pryor's a Hero and 25 Things We Learned
There's a lot to chew on and think about after the weekend isn't there?
College football fans got more than enough dramatic finishes and great performances over the weekend, but it's still not over. The best part comes the day after: What's it all mean? What's to make of Texas A&M's upset, Stanford's domination of Cal and the close victories in the Big Ten?
So glad you asked.
Some of those questions will be answered and more.
But the weekend also set up some great showdowns for the coming week, including Oklahoma-Oklahoma State and LSU-Arkansas. Add on the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn, and fans will have a nice selection to choose from.
Time to look back at the weekend and the 25 things we learned. Let's go:
25. It Was Just a Fluke
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After almost beating Oregon, you had to wonder if Cal could turn around and deliver an upset against in-state rival Stanford, didn't you?
Not so much. Obviously that was just a really good day. Stanford (10-1) rolled up 467 total yards against the Bears (5-6) in the 48-14 victory.
Quarterback Andrew Luck also led the Cardinal to scores on all eight possessions he played.
24. Baylor's Better, But...
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Give the Baylor Bears (7-5) credit. They've qualified for a bowl and continue to improve under head coach Art Briles. But we may want to tap the brakes on all the talk that they can play with the Big 12's big boys.
Sure, Texas is down this year, but when you allow Oklahoma to take a 34-7 lead into halftime and finish with 462 total yards, you've still got work to do.
23. Fourteen Straight and Counting
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Maybe next year, huh, Indiana?
The Hoosiers lost to Penn State 41-24 in Landover, Md.
Besides marking their 12th straight conference loss, Indiana (4-7, 0-7 in the Big Ten) has now lost all 14 games it's played against the Nittany Lions.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Over-Hyped? Why Yes, Yes They Are
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Can anyone explain why every year it seems that Iowa is always ranked in the preseason top 10 and continues to not live up to expectations?
The Hawkeyes blew a chance to knock off Ohio State, which came back for a 20-17 victory. Iowa is now 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten.
21. Last Week's Picks: 8-2
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Missed on the Florida State-Maryland and San Diego State-Utah games, but got the rest of them right in my list of top 10 best college football games of the week.
Of course, there will be some who will still refuse to admit that my No.1 pick (LSU-Ole Miss) lived up to its billing and was the best game of the weekend.
That's OK though. Bring on the excuses. I'm ready...
20. Half Awful
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Memo to Wrigley Field: That's great that you hosted your first football game in 40 years.
But if you can't put a full field out there, which is what happened between Illinois and Northwestern, you don't deserve to do this again.
19. ACC Isn't Decided Yet
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While Virginia Tech clinched a spot in the ACC championship with a 31-17 win over Miami, its opponent is still unknown.
Florida State (8-3, 6-2) has clinched at least a share of the ACC's Atlantic Division, but a North Carolina State (8-3, 5-2) win over Maryland on Saturday puts the Wolfpack in the title game due to its 28-24 win over the Seminoles.
18. Utah's Got Some Fight Left
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It was hard to tell if Utah (9-2) would bounce back from consecutive losses to TCU and Notre Dame, but the Utes answered that with a 38-34 win over a feisty San Diego State squad.
Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn threw for a career-high 362 yards in the victory.
17. BCS Atrocity
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Every college football fan knows the BCS is a joke, but further proof was provided this weekend.
With its 17-10 win over South Florida, Pitt (6-4) remains in first in the Big East and can clinch the league title (and an automatic BCS bid) if it wins out and beats West Virginia and Cincinnati.
16. The Resiliency Award Goes To
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Anyone else (besides Virginia Tech fans) think the Hokies would win nine straight after beginning the season 0-2?
Virginia Tech (9-2) will get a shot to play for the ACC championship after beating Miami 31-17. Quite an accomplishment, especially after losing to James Madison 21-16 on Sept.11.
15. How To Dominate
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No one may have done it better this season than Boise State did against Fresno State.
Besides beating them 51-0, Boise State (10-0) held Fresno State to nine first downs, 125 total yards and allowed them to have the ball for just over 23 minutes.
14. The Comeback Award Winner
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Have to give this one to Michigan State (10-1), which scored 22 points in the fourth quarter for a 35-31 come-from-behind victory over Purdue.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins scored the game-winner on a three-yard run with 4:32 left in the game.
Michigan State was favored by almost three touchdowns in the game.
13. Not Too Smart, Part I
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When it's crunch time, the last thing you want to do is fumble.
But that's exactly what Mississippi State's Vick Ballard did in the first overtime against Arkansas. Ballard was running towards the end zone but was hit at the two-yard line as he was trying to lunge in for the score.
Ballard fumbled the ball into the end zone, giving Arkansas a touchback.
Arkansas missed a field goal when it regained possession, but it won in the second overtime, 38-31.
12. Not Too Smart, Part II
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Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops looked like he was going to explode right before halftime of Saturday's game with Baylor. The Sooners were up big, still had a timeout and had the Bears back at their own five-yard line. A chance to score again seemed very possible.
Baylor punted on fourth and 25, and that's when the collapse started, when Oklahoma was called for roughing the kicker.
Tack on 15 yards.
Baylor's Robert Griffin then rushed for 21 yards and the Sooners were again penalized 15 yards for a personal foul when Griffin was hit late out of bounds.
That moved Baylor to the Oklahoma 44, but Griffin's pass would be intercepted by Tony Jefferson to end the half.
11. An All-Time Great
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Michigan's Denard Robinson further cemented his place as one of the most dynamic players in school history on Saturday.
Robinson finished with 121 yards rushing in the 48-28 loss to Wisconsin and he is now the all-time leader among major college quarterbacks in rushing yards (1,538). Air Force's Beau Morgan had previously held the record with 1,494, which was set in 1996.
Robinson also is the first player in NCAA history to rush for 1,500 yards and throw for 1,500 yards in a single season.
10. Starting To Hum
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It had been a weakness for most of the season, but LSU's offense may be catching up to its aggressive, talented defense.
The Tigers' offense ranks 52nd in the nation in scoring, but finished with 470 total yards against Ole Miss. That comes after finishing with 433 two weeks earlier against Alabama.
In his best game of the year, LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson completed 13-of-17 passes for 254 yards against the Rebels.
9. Still a Hot Commodity
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In the age when every team runs the spread or some hybrid of the high-powered offense, teams like LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Wisconsin showed that running backs are still just as critical as ever.
8. Nebraska Was Overrated
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Questions existed about just how good Nebraska really was after losing to Texas 20-13 on Oct.16. The Cornhuskers showed plenty, though, this weekend, finishing with just a pair of field goals in a 9-6 upset loss to Texas A&M.
Taylor Martinez re-injured his ankle and couldn't seem to get anything going against the Aggies.
7. The Badgers Get The Edge
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Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin remain in a three-way tie for first in the Big Ten, but you've got to give the Badgers the edge as far as which team is the most impressive.
Besides almost reaching the half century mark at the Big House, Wisconsin had two running backs combine for six touchdowns and finished with 558 total yards. Like 'em or not, that's impressive.
6. Terrelle Pryor Is Mr. Clutch
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Terrelle Pryor's biggest play of the season came on a 14-yard run on fourth down Saturday that kept a game-winning drive alive against Iowa.
Five players later, Dan Herron scored on a one-yard run for the Buckeyes with 1:47 left in the game.
Pryor threw for 195 yards in the 20-17 victory.
5. Tannehill's Legend Grows
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Since taking over at quarterback, Ryan Tannehill and the Texas A&M offense have been doing quite well.
Tannehill completed 19-of-29 passes for 172 yards against Nebraska. It may not be long before he and running back Cyrus Gray become the next heroes for a program that's cherished plenty of them over the years.
Beating Texas soundly will be the next step.
4. They'll Test Auburn
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South Carolina (8-3) finished with 469 total yards in a 69-24 win over Troy. A powerhouse opponent, certainly not.
But Auburn could be in for a potentially tough matchup with the Gamecocks in the upcoming SEC championship game.
Keep in mind that this isn't exactly a new experience either for coach Steve Spurrier.
3. The Tiebreaker Is In Play
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Wins by Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State set up a potential tiebreaker scenario in the Big 12 South.
Right now both the Aggies and Sooners have 5-2 conference records, while the Cowboys are 6-1.
Oklahoma State already beat Texas A&M 38-35 on Sept. 30, and the Aggies beat Oklahoma.
A three-way tie could happen, though, if the Aggies beat Texas, and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State.
In that case, the team with the highest standing in the BCS rankings would advance to the Big 12 championship game.
2. Anger Management Issues
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You're never going to stop college coaches from being passionate.
That includes Nebraska's Bo Pelini, who has a bit of a temper problem.
It led to an unsportsmanlike penalty in the fourth quarter of the Huskers' loss to Texas A&M, and now school chancellor Harvey Perlman has voiced his displeasure about Pelini's behavior.
Maybe a visit to Dr. Phil could pay off. Or it could turn out like this.
1. Controversy Is Building
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Auburn wasn't playing, but the controversy surrounding Cam Newton continues to grow.
The NCAA hasn't ruled on the alleged pay-for-play scheme involving the Tigers quarterback, but more reports keep surfacing about Cam's father, Cecil Newton, and his alleged involvement with former Mississippi State football players.
You have to wonder if the NCAA will wrap things up in time for the announcement of who's playing in the BCS national championship. Because if Auburn wins out and reaches the big game, this will be the story, whether the Tigers like it or not.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
