By Mike Luce
1. Katy Perry.
Katy Perry appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay bedecked in bizarre football attire and brandishing corndogs. In the pregame, she disrupted Lee Corso’s shtick of donning a mascot’s headgear, gave the Ole Miss mascot a full-body hug, and was spotted chugging beers and bodysurfing in an Oxford bar following the game.
If ESPN intended to play up Perry for ratings, she made a masterful PR turnabout by seizing the spotlight in true party-girl fashion. Well done, ma’am. Well done. This Hotty Toddy is for you.
2. The Magnolia State.
All of Mississippi went up for grabs Saturday, with huge wins by Ole Miss and Mississippi State, which climbed to a tie for #3 in the rankings. Rebels fans tore down the goalposts and paraded down the street. Maybe it was all that star power – for some reason, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth (who?), Octavia Spencer (ditto?), the NBA’s Vince Carter (still in the league!) and Mike Conley joined Perry in Oxford, mingling at tailgate parties and on the sidelines.
3. Horned Frogs Show Chameleons How It’s Done.
#25 TCU nearly pulled off a fake play for the ages on Saturday. Tied at 21 in the second quarter, The Horned Frogs dropped back to receive a kickoff from Oklahoma. No one seemed to notice as returner B.J. Catalon lay down in the O of the “Frogs” in the end zone, perfectly disguised against the purple field and wide open after he popped back up to receive the throwback pass. Sadly, a holding call brought the play back from midfield, but still.
TCU went on to upset the Cowboys (#4), 37-33.
4. Texas A&M’s Backup Quarterback.
The Aggies (#6) backup QB Kyle Allen took some time during a 48-31 blowout loss to Mississippi State (#12) to chat up a coed staffer on the sidelines. Way to stay focused, kid. Where’s your clipboard? For that matter, where’s your headset? At least pretend like you’re paying attention to the game.
5. Tennessee.
Fans of the Volunteers have just taken it to the next level in binge drinking. A few weeks ago, a man was arrested for drinking his underage son under the table in what was apparently intended as a teaching moment, and now the hottest selling T-shirt on campus shows UT mascot Smoky “butt chugging.” Google that term at your own risk.
6. Underdogs And The Under.
The ‘dogs fared well against the point spread, posting a 32-24-1 record in Week 6, with the under turning in an even better record, at 35-21-1.
The entire Top 25 turned upside down, with huge wins by #11 Ole Miss over #3 Alabama, 23-17, the aforementioned Horned Frogs and MSU, and shocking home losses by #8 UCLA (to unranked Utah, 30-28) and #16 USC to unranked Arizona State, 38-34.
7. Pat Fitzgerald And Chris Gadone.
Coach Fitzgerald seems to have turned things around, as the Wildcats bounced back from an ugly start to the season and upset #17 Wisconsin 20-14 in Evanston. The secondary stepped up by making four picks, more than making up for NU’s olé defense against the run: Badger RB Melvin Gordon racked up 259 rushing. But the game ball should go to Wildcats punter Chris Gadone. On a damp, blustery day Gadone lofted seven punts for a net of 35.9 yards including four inside UW’s 20. The return game for Wisconsin was nonexistent, totaling only 21 yards on two runbacks.
8. Alvin “Bud” Dupree.
First, Alvin should get a Top 10 mention every week for being named Alvin and nicknamed Bud. That’s a killer combo. This week, Bud gets the nod for a fantastic pick-six to cap Kentucky’s wild comeback victory over visiting South Carolina.
UK trailed 38-24 with 11:45 remaining in the fourth quarter but went on an absolute tear to win 45-38. At 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC, why not Kentucky? (Wait, did we just say something optimistic about the Wildcats?)
9. The Slowest False Start Penalty of All Time.
10. Connor Halliday.
The Washington State QB threw for 734 yards and six touchdowns in a loss. The Huskies fell 60-59 to Cal, despite the record-breaking performance by Halliday, who eclipsed virtually every stat in history, including FBS total yards passing and the Division I total, which had stood since 1990 and 2012, respectively.
Maybe WSU should try running the ball a bit, though. Otherwise, at this pace, Halliday’s arm is going to fall off by Week Eight.
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Mike Luce is our man on campus – every Friday and Monday. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on October 6, 2014