College Football's Week Seven Action: Regional Recaps

                                               FOOTBALL'S WEEK: 10/11/08

The West

The Best: 1) Southern California, 2) Boise State, 3) Utah

UCLA traveled up to Eugene with one thought on their mind–to win. While the Bruins were out-rushed 323–63, Coach Rick Neuheisel used every trick in the book to keep UCLA in the game until the scoreboard read double zero. The final score was 31-24, Ducks.

The uncanny season of Coach Jim Harbaugh's Stanford Cardinal continued. Scoring from the 1 yard line with 25 seconds to play in the game, the Cardinal escaped Arizona, 24-23, improving to 4-3 on the season. More importantly, 3-1 in the PAC10. While the game remained tight throughout, Arizona was out-rushed 286-77 leading to their second loss.

In Los Angeles, Southern Cal's Joe McKnight rushed for 143 yards while the Trojan defense held Arizona State's quarterback Rudy Carpenter to 11 for 20 passing. When the dust settled, the Sun Devils found themselves a 28-0 shut out victim of USC.

In other western action, Oregon State destroyed Washington State 66-13, The Air Force bombed San Diego State 35-10, Brigham Young was again unimpressive in trimming the New Mexico Lobos 21-3, while Utah hammered Wyoming, 40-7.

Hawaii stepped forward with another win, this one at the expense of WAC rival Louisiana Tech, 24-14. Next up for the Islanders—powerful Boise State.  

The Desert Report: When Bob Toledo took over at Tulane he didn't envision such hard times in the old Dixieland Corner. His Green Wave traveled out to El Paso to take on Mike Price's Miners. Despite 255 yards rushing from halfback Andre Anderson, the Greenies succumbed, 24-21.

The East

The Best: 1) Penn State, 2) Pittsburgh, 3) Boston College

With eastern kingpin Penn State venturing out to the mid-west, the stage was set for Syracuse to celebrate the weekend opening of the movie "The (Elmira) Express", with an  upset of pre-season Big East favorite West Virginia.

Despite one of the best efforts of the season from the Orange, the absence of Mountaineer QB Pat White due to injury, and the emotion of "winning one for the late Ernie Davis", West Virginia prevailed, 17-6.

The Army came upon another willing victim, the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. The MAC entry could not handle Cadet QB Chip Bowden, who rushed for 229 yards in a 17-13 win.

Next up for the Black Knights of the Hudson? Turner Gill's Buffalo Bulls, who fell to MAC power Western Michigan in overtime, 34-28.

In Ivy League action, undefeated Cornell was surprised by the Crimson of Harvard, 38-17 while win-less Dartmouth continued their losing ways by falling to Yale, 34-7.

The South

The Best: 1) Alabama, 2) Florida, 3) Georgia

While LSU coach Les Miles isn't normally given to emotional outbursts, he did exclaim his displeasure with his Tigers' overall performance in a 51-21 loss to Florida. "We spotted them 20 points in the first half and couldn't come all the way back." Perhaps more disturbing to Miles was LSU's rushing total–80 yards.

Wake Forest stepped up to the plate and knocked Clemson out of the park, 12-7 in a special Thursday night battle. Things are so bad in Tiger Town that head coach Tommy Bowden "put it out on the table that he leave" and AD Terry Don Phillips accepted. The Tigers' new head coach is former Alabama receiver, Dabo Swinney.

While Alabama rested, Georgia began to rumble again in the Deep South. The Bulldogs crushed arch-rival Tennessee, 26-14 by outgaining the reeling Vols 458-209. Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer responded to criticism by adding "I'll look them in the eye and tell them I'm not quitting".

Ga Tech started 3rd string QB Calvin Booker and escaped little Gardner–Webb College, 10-7. South Carolina overhauled Kentucky 24-17, Auburn was shocked by Arkansas 25-22, and Vanderbilt lost for the first time. The culprit? Sly old Sylvester Croom and his Mississippi State Maroons, 17-14.

In other action in Dixie, Virginia whipped East Carolina 35-20, UNC escaped Notre Dame 29-24, and Tommy West's Memphis Tigers fell to Louisville, 35-28.

The MidWest

The Best: 1) Texas, 2) Ohio State, 3) Texas Tech

When the 2008 schedules were released everyone realized what a big game Oklahoma and Texas would be but, not many believed it would determine who was No. 1 in the country.

Outfought into the third quarter by the Sooners, the Longhorns were fortunate to find themselves behind only 28-20 when they were  recipients of good fortune, by way of an injury to the Oklahoma middle linebacker, Ryan Reynolds.

Taking advantage of the situation, Texas smashed Oklahoma 25-7 down the stretch and staked its claim for No. 1 in the national polls.

The Texas defense was primarily responsible for keeping the game close until the offense got going in the 2nd half. The defensive white cloud was so stout that it limited the  Sooners to a surprisingly anemic 48 yards rushing. 

The last time a Texas team defeated a No. 1 Oklahoma team was 1963. The Longhorns went on to an undefeated national championship that season.

Sooner boss-man Bob Stoops was asked if he thought this Longhorn team was stronger than the 2005 National Champions. He replied "I would say they both were great teams". History could repeat itself.

Penn State showed up at Camp Randall angry and with a chip on their shoulder before meeting Wisconsin. When the Lions were finished the vaunted Badgers were humiliated 48-7 before their home crowd.

Longtime Milwaukee sportswriters were in agreement that Joe Paterno has a team capable of winning the national championship. Said one, "This could be the best team I've ever seen anywhere, and I saw '95 Nebraska". Let the nation be warned.

Minnesota continued its winning ways by upsetting Illinois 27-20, Kansas won over Colorado 30-14, and Texas A&M lost again. This time to Kansas State 44-30.

In other Big 10 action Iowa pasted Indiana 45-9 while Michigan provided the shock of the day. The Wolverines lost at home to the Toledo Rockets, 13-10.

Texas Tech appeared to sleepwalk to an overtime win over upstart Nebraska, 37-31. But it was the Cowboys from Stillwater who provided the Big12 with its big upset of the day as Oklahoma State stunned Missouri, 28-23.

NATIONAL BACK OF THE WEEK

Tulane Running Back Andre Anderson rushed for 255 yards on 29 carries in the Green Wave's 24-21 loss to Texas El Paso.

NATIONAL LINEMAN OF THE WEEK

Southern California Defensive Tackle Fili Moala recovered a fumble and tied the NCAA record by blocking two field goals in one quarter as he was a one man wrecking crew in the Trojans' 28-0 destruction of Arizona State.