Inside the Boxscores is a weekly article that has been widely recognized as the best summary of college football. This article takes an in-depth look at each game and extracts the most relevant information that will help you in handicapping games in the future. College football is full of wacky plays, tricky scores, and unexpected endings. It takes you inside the action.
COLORADO 30 Texas Tech 6
Colorado earned its first win of the season when they outscored the Red Raiders 380-276 and forced five turnovers. The Buffaloes were inside Texas Tech territory on all but three possessions, while the Red Raiders didn’t cross midfield until late in the third quarter. The score could have been worse, but Colorado gave up chances at the Texas Tech 18-yard line and also had two fumbles inside the 30-yard line.
TEXAS A&M 25 (19) Missouri 19
The Tigers lost for the first time this season due to numerous errors. Missouri turned the ball over at the goal line on its first drive and turned it over on three of its first five possessions. After Texas A&M took the lead late in the third quarter, the Tigers got the ball four more times but were unable to capitalize as they gave it up on attempts at the Aggies’ six-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
(7) LOUISVILLE 23 Cincinnati 17
Louisville survived a major scare from the Bearcats, who used ball control to keep the Cardinals’ potent offense off the field. Cincinnati controlled more than 13 minutes left on the clock and was able to run 18 more plays, but fell short in the end. The Bearcats moved the ball to the Louisville 16-yard line, but a penalty and two incomplete passes ended the game. Cincinnati also missed two field goals.
ALABAMA 26 Ole Miss 23
Alabama outscored the Rebels 434-287 but needed an overtime touchdown for the victory. The Tides were in Mississippi territory on all but two drives, but had to settle for two field goals and also missed two attempts at the Rebels’ 26-yard line, including one late in the fourth quarter. Mississippi was just 2-11 on third-down conversions, while Alabama went 9-16 on third-down.
TROY 24 UL-Monroe 19
This game was marred by turnovers, but it was the Warhawks who suffered the most. They turned the ball over on four of their last five possessions, three of which have come in Troy territory. UL-Monroe had two chances late in the game, but threw an interception at the Trojans’ six-yard line and then gave it up on fourth down at the 27-yard line in the final two minutes. Troy flipped it four times inside Warhawks territory.
KENT STATE 40 Toledo 14
Kent St. finished with just 348 total yards but limited Toledo to 234 yards and forced four turnovers while stopping the Rockets three times on fourth down. Toledo was inside Golden Flashes territory on four of his first five possessions, but he was left with nothing. Kent St. rushed for 270 yards on 47 carries (5.7 ypc) while holding the Rockets to 102 yards on 38 carries (2.7 ypc). Kent St. turned the ball over nine times, but lost only one of them.
BOWLING GREEN 24 Eastern Michigan 21
Bowling Green scored the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter and the defense forced two punts and caught an interception for the win. The Eagles actually outscored the Falcons 330-324, but three interceptions and a missed field goal led to 14 Bowling Green points. The Falcons timed the battle for possession but won field position as their average starting point was at the 41-yard line.
Hawaii 68 FRESNO STATE 37
Fresno St. scored on his third play of the game to take a 7-0 lead after forcing a punt from the Warriors, but after that it was all Hawaii. The Warriors racked up 570 yards of offense, and despite the defense allowing 470 yards, they scored 21 points on turnovers. Hawaii went 7-9 on third-down conversions and was a perfect 7-7 inside the red zone, scoring touchdowns on every possession.
Arizona 20 STANFORD 7
Arizona was spectacular on defense, holding Stanford to just 52 total yards and four first downs. Cardinal scored his only touchdown on a 72-yard interception return, while the offense never got past its own 39-yard line. The Wildcats scored on three of their first four possessions and let the defense do the rest. Stanford had the ball for just over 21 minutes and finished with -6 rushing yards.
(10) California 21 WASHINGTON ST 3
California outscored the Cougars by just three total yards, but the defense hung on when it needed to. Washington St. turned the ball over four times inside the Bears 35-yard line, including three times on their last three possessions. The Cougars also threw two interceptions inside California territory. Washington St. went 1-3 inside the red zone and went 0-11 on third-down conversions.
SAN JOSE ST 21 Utah State 14
Utah St. jumped ahead 14-0 but the Spartans rallied as the defense shut out the Aggies the rest of the way. San Jose St. turned the ball over four times, twice inside the Utah St. red zone and once at the 35-yard line. The Aggies were looking for the tying score, but missed it on attempts at the Spartans 26-yard line to finish the game. The Aggies controlled about 14 minutes left on the clock.
Oregon State 27 WASHINGTON 17
Oregon St. outscored the Huskies 488-256 but had to rally after dropping seven points at halftime. The Beavers scored the only 17 points of the second half when their three scoring drives racked up 236 total yards. Washington rushed for just 84 yards on 37 carries (2.3 ypc) and that number was reduced by six sacks by Oregon St. Both of Washington’s touchdowns came from interceptions.
MIAMI-FLORIDA 35 Florida International 0
In a game marred by a big fight, the Hurricanes shut out the Golden Panthers and limited them to just 114 total yards and 12 first downs. The game was scoreless until late in the second quarter when Miami finally got on the board. The Hurricanes missed a field goal and gave it up on attempts at the Florida International six-yard line before that. The Hurricanes had just 279 total yards, but their average starting position was midfield.
Idaho 24 LOUISIANA TECH 14
Idaho outscored the Bulldogs 382-211, but still had to rally to score the final 17 points of the game. Louisiana Tech committed eight turnovers but trailed by just one touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Vandals scored 17 points on those turnovers and the defense limited the Bulldogs to just 42 total yards in the second half. Idaho was plagued by three turnovers and 12 penalties totaling 100 yards.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI 31 Houston 27
Southern Mississippi never trailed in this game despite being outscored 377-325. The Golden Eagles struck first on a Houston fumble, their only turnover of the game, and scored on a one-yard, one-play drive. The Cougars were affected by that along with a missed field goal and two attempted turnovers. Houston finished with just 38 rushing yards on 27 carries (1.4 ypc).
(6) TEXAS 63 Baylor 31
Texas saw Baylor lead 10-0 during the first quarter, but the Longhorns had 28 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Bears were still trailing by just 18 points going into the fourth quarter, but Texas had three touchdowns to spark the win. The Longhorns’ defense scored twice, once on a fumble return and once on an interception return, and in all, scored 35 points on five Baylor turnovers.
Ohio U 20 ILLINOIS 17
Ohio kicked the game-winning field goal with five seconds remaining despite being outscored by Illini 397-238. Illinois turned the ball over five times, including a fumble at their own 15-yard line that set up the Bobcats’ field goal. Four of the Illini’s turnovers were in their own territory but Ohio couldn’t take advantage except for the last one. Illinois rushed for 211 yards on 36 carries (5.9 ypc).
(21) Nebraska 21 KANSAS STATE 3
Nebraska scored a touchdown on their first possession with a fake field goal, and the defense kept the Wildcats at bay throughout the game. Kansas St. finished with just 294 yards, including 22 rushing yards on 18 carries (1.2 ypc). The Wildcats punted on six of their first seven possessions and had chances late, but they threw an interception at the Nebraska 34-yard line and gave it up on opportunities at the three-yard line.
RICE 34 UAB 33
Rice scored the game-winning touchdown with just three seconds remaining. UAB should have won the game after an interception two plays earlier, but returned the ball to the Owls. The Blazers outscored the Owls 484-421 and rallied to take a five-point lead late in the fourth quarter before Rice won. UAB missed a short field goal before halftime that was the definitive difference.
(11) AUBURN 27 (2) Florida 17
Florida led by nine points and took a six-point lead into halftime, but Auburn shut out the Gators in the second half for the win. The Tigers scored on a blocked punt return and also on a fumble return for the only two touchdowns of the second half. The Gators scored on their first three possessions, but only had 90 total yards in the second half and crossed midfield just once, resulting in a fumble at the Auburn 16-yard line.
(3) USC 28 State of Arizona 21
USC led 21-0, but the Sun Devils rallied to tie the game before the Trojans scored the game-winning goal late in the fourth quarter. Arizona St. tied the game with an interception return for a touchdown. The Sun Devils limited USC to just 307 yards, but their own offense was only able to muster 245 yards as they committed 12 penalties for 97 yards. Arizona St. punted after USC’s final score and never got the ball back.
(14) LSU 49 Kentucky 0
The Tigers racked up 546 yards of offense while the defense threw a shutout. Kentucky was never in the game as they fell behind 28-0 after four possessions on each side. The Wildcats had two final chances to avoid the shutout, but threw an interception at LSU’s 9-yard line and gave it up on attempts at the 7-yard line. LSU rushed for 268 yards while holding the Wildcats to 61 rushing yards.
(4) Michigan 17 PENN STATE 10
Michigan limited Penn St. to just 186 total yards and 11 first downs. The Wolverines had seven sacks while holding the Nittany Lions to -14 rushing yards on 25 carries (-0.6 ypc). Michigan had two long touchdown drives but didn’t do much more than that, gaining just 176 yards on its other nine possessions. Penn St. missed the opportunity to strike first, missing a field goal on his opening possession.
TEXAS-EL PASO 34 Tulane 20
Tulane actually outscored the Miners 481-365, but Green Wave lost the turnover battle 5-0 when they turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions. Two of the turnovers occurred inside the UTEP red zone and Tulane also gave them up on opportunities at the Miners 16-yard line. UTEP led by three touchdowns just before halftime after returning an 88-yard punt for a score.
New Mexico 39 UNLV 36
UNLV outscored the Lobos 379-280 four turnovers led to 16 New Mexico points. The Rebels had a 14-point halftime lead but the Lobos scored the first 22 points of the second half. UNLV tied the game with just over a minute remaining and after New Mexico kicked a go-ahead field goal in overtime, the Rebels were sacked and gunned down on their first play to end the game.
