By Mike Luce
1. Morgantown’s First Responders.
#22 West Virginia upset the Baylor Bears (#12) in an impressive 41-27 victory in Morgantown, which fans promptly stomped and burned to the ground. The usual couch-burning ritual ensued following the game, but even the notoriously riotous Mountaineer fans seem to have taken it to another level: local police had to use tear gas to disperse the crowds. Classy.
2. Alabama.
‘Bama players would probably like to play A&M every weekend. The #7 Tide put up 45 points in the first half en route to a 59-0 romp that saw the #21 Aggies surrender 602 yards. Even the backup quarterback got in on the action with a fourth quarter touchdown.
3. The Pick.
In an unlikely classic in which #2 Florida State was a heavy favorite (by 9.5), the #5 Irish nearly pulled off an upset but a penalty in the end zone reversed the winning touchdown. Officials called Notre Dame for illegally “picking” the Seminole defender, allowing Corey Robinson to catch the game-winning touchdown. ESPN weighed in with a full explanation of the controversial so-called “pick play,” a common staple among college offenses, including analysis from the likes of Steve Spurrier and others. We can recall the last time a play – not a play in the game, but an actual Xs and Os play – got this much attention.
Brian Kelly, not surprisingly, was not pleased and is still whinging about it to the media.
4. The Will Muschamp Death Watch.
Well no, not really. Just the hyperbolic kind. Muschamp’s Gators took a drubbing at home in The Swamp to Missouri, at one point trailing by 42. The Tigers led 20-0 at halftime despite gaining only 99 yards. Let’s just say, that is an unusual stat line typically reserved for the doormats of the Southeastern Conference, not one of the traditional powerhouses.
5. Headline: “Arkansas State’s Tyler Greve Added To Rimington List.”
Now, we know Arkansas State. But there are other unfamiliar capitalized words in there that prompted us to click on that link. In fact, the Report was put straight by a loyal Beachwood reader several years ago for remarking that the Red Wolves were a I-AA team. (They are not. Not anymore, anyway. Arkansas State took a circuitous route to the big leagues. Starting in 1992, the team played as a I-A independent, spent two years in the Big West Conference – twice, as in two separate stints – and eventually joined the Sun Belt. But we digress.) The Rimington Trophy apparently goes to the nation’s best center. As Tyler Greve plays center, this make sense. Dave Rimington played center for Nebraska from 1979 to 1982, and must have been pretty good because they give away a crouching bronze dude every year in his honor.
Now you know how we felt. “Ah, Rimington. That’s what that is. OK, good to know.”
6. Our Obligatory SEC Comment.
We have to bring it up, because you’re seeing it everywhere else too: the SEC has four – count ’em, four – teams in the Top 5. Has never happened. There you go. Queue the Select Committee controversy.
In related news, committee member Archie Manning stepped down – or perhaps hobbled away is a more apt metaphor – due to complications from a knee operation.
7. Carson-Newman University Head Coach Ken Sparks.
Sparks overtook Bear Bryant for sixth on the all-time wins list on Saturday. Sparks’ Eagles rattled off 28 points for a second-half comeback win over the Tusculum College Pioneers for his 323rd career W. Both play in the Division II South Atlantic Conference, based around tiny schools in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Our favorite SAC member? The Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters.
Lincoln Memorial is located in Harrogate, TN – not the most likely place in the country for a memorial to Lincoln, making the school all the more endearing.
8. Nebraska.
#19 Nebraska completed a TD pass to its QB on the way to a 38-17 thumping of Northwestern.
9. Minnesota.
Among the Big Ten games played, an otherwise unremarkable match-up in most seasons produced high drama as Minnesota preserved an unbeaten record in conference (3-0, 6-1 overall) in a 39-38 shootout with Purdue. The Gophers needed a fourth quarter field goal – the only points scored in the final frame – to eke out the win. Minnesota will now receive votes until it does its usual end-of-the-season dive and backs into a low-rent bowl.
10. Illinois.
Did not lose.
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Mike Luce is our man on campus – every Friday and Monday. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on October 20, 2014