Week 9 Recap

Quick hits edition because I said so.

#1 Michigan 17, Northwestern 3
Another mediocre day by Henne, another good day by Hart, another absolutely motherfucking frightening day by the Michigan defense. Northwestern's leading rusher had 6 yards. A bit more trepidation about the Wolverines against Ohio State than in past weeks, as the loss of Manningham has really hurt the offense. Normally that doesn't matter, as teams need to beat Michigan using the pass and most QBs aren't up to the task, but if anyone is, it'd be Troy Smith.

#2 Ohio State 44, Minnesota 0
Though really, maybe not. In a huge blowout against an awful Minnesota team, Smith only had 183 and a TD. Though he probably didn't need to do any more. Basically, Indiana Game Troy Smith could beat the Michigan defense. This one? Probably not.

Oregon State 33, #3 USC 31
Ironically, USC looked better here than in a lot of their recent wins, mostly thanks to John David Booty's 406 yards and 3 TDs (and 1 INT.) 4 turnovers also killed the Trojans. And, you know, allowing 400 yards. I said I'd believe USC could lose when I see it, and now that I've seen it, I can downgrade them from "title contender" to "really good."

#5 Texas 35, Texas Tech 31
The only TTU line that matters: QB Graham Harrell: 42/62, 519, 3 TD, INT. Colt McCoy probably outperformed him though, matching Harrell in completion percentage (21/31), but throwing for 4 touchdowns and a pick. Texas is in USC territory: vulnerable, but the question is if they'll face anyone who can take advantage.

#6 Florida 21, Georgia 14
UGA held Florida to a relatively low 326 yards, but also turned the ball over 5 times. Whoops. Quite the ugly stat lines all over, except for Gators WR Andre Caldwell's rushing TD and receiving TD.

Virginia Tech 24, #7 Clemson 7
Oof. Clemson just got absolutely dominated by the Virginia Tech defense, only gaining 172 yards. Hokies RB Branden Ore both outgained and outscored Clemson, gaining 203 and scoring 2 TDs. I no longer know what to think in the ACC. The BCS bid will probably go to, like, Maryland.

#8 Auburn 23, Mississippi 17
Rebels QB Brent Schaeffer (8/16, 161, 1/2 TD/INT) had an awful day, as did most of the Ole Miss offense, but surprisingly the game remained close. Even if not statistically. Auburn still fails to impress me, either the stats or the score never really dominate.

#11 Tennessee 31, South Carolina 24
If not for 3 Syvelle Newton picks, the Gamecocks probably win this one. I really want to like you, Vols, just give me something to love.

#12 Notre Dame 38, Navy 14
I have nothing to say outside of over-the-top Notre Dame-bashing making fun of their overratedness.

#14 Arkansas 44, Louisiana-Monroe 10
Arkansas gave up 376 yards, but ULM QB Kinsmon Lancaster also gave up 5 interceptions. Whoops.

#16 Oklahoma 26, #22 Missouri 10
Lots of dissonance between the score and the stats here. Mizzou QB Chase Daniel accounted for most of the Tigers' offense, gaining 359 of their 387 yards and scoring their long TD on the ground. Unfortunately, he also threw 3 picks, which was probably the difference in the game. On the OU side, Paul Thompson only threw for 127, but had 2 touchdowns and no picks. Meanwhile, RB Allen Patrick carried the load and ran it for 162. I'm still unsure of what to make of OU: the offense was efficient, but not overly productive, while the defense gave up a fair amount of yards, but forced 4 turnovers. Who knows. Sigh.

#17 Wisconsin 30, Illinois 24
So, 6 points is the handicap of having Ron Zook as your head coach.

#18 Rutgers 24, Connecticut 13
I give full credit/blame for this on the UConn offense and special teams. Well, the UConn quarterbacks and special teams. The one shining light for either team was backup Huskies RB Donald Brown running for 199 and 2 TD. So there's at least some optimism for UConn's future, as long as we recruit a quarterback.

Oklahoma State 41, #19 Nebraska 29
Pretty even, right down to one missed XP each. Both QBs threw well, Nebraska's slightly more. Both RBs ran well, Nebraska's slightly more. Both top WRs were productive, Nebraska's slightly more. More of an indication that OK State's improved greatly over the year than any great falling off by the Huskers.

#20 Boston College 41, Buffalo 0
Well, they finally got that undisputed, dominating win.

#21 Texas A&M 31, Baylor 21
The Aggies continued their overnight transition to a passing team, led by Stephen McGee's 215 yards and 2 TD through the air, along with 89 on the ground. Baylor looked pretty good, but with QB Shawn Bell being knocked out for the year, there goes the Bears' chance at bowl eligibility.

#24 Georgia Tech 30, Miami 23
Miami's offense has somewhat gotten its shit together, although it was mostly the two-man operation of QB Kyle Wright (246, TD, INT) and RB Javarris James (19 car, 133). GT was better though, as the Good Reggie Ball (188, 2 TD) showed up, and actually remembered to throw to Calvin Johnson. There's still some hope for Miami, although the fact that that now means "bowl eligibility" is pretty sad. I guess GT is now the default best team in the conference?

#25 Iowa 24, Northern Illinois 14
Jake Christensen (19/30, 256, 2/1 TD/INT) is a much better emergency QB than Jason Manson.

BYU 33, Air Force 14
Pretty one-sided. At least one thing is clear in the MWC: BYU's the top team. Now watch them lose next week.

Arizona State 26, Washington 23 (OT)
An actual good game (16/22, 170, 2 TD) for Rudy Carpenter! Washington? Meh. Running game seems decent, but with Stanback out, they probably won't have the QB consistency to regain their former form.

Tulane 42, Army 28
Tulane QB Lester Ricard's performance is worth noting: 33/43, 409 yards, 3 TD.

Temple 28, Bowling Green 14
=-O.

Vanderbilt 45, Duke 28
Vandy QB Chris Nickson could be a good one, and this could be the first of many great performances: 14/24, 250, 2 TD passing, 150 and 3 TD rushing.

East Carolina 20, Southern Miss 17 (OT)
USM only gained 180 yards. No offense, but that's almost, like, no offense.

Maryland 27, Florida State 24
And the Seminoles outgained UMD by 190 yards. I give up.

Indiana 46, Michigan State 21
And not even that close. Hoosiers QB Kellen Lewis: 15/26, 261 yards, 5/1 TD/INT. Yes, 5 touchdowns. Jeez.

Cal Poly 16, San Diego State 14
Well, that optimism for the Aztecs didn't last long.