Ada High appears to be on the march to the playoffs. Ohio State is on the march to nowhere since they are on probation. The weather is marching toward Indian summer, or so we hope. Presidential debate "scoring" appears to make rudeness not only advisable but mandatory. I am so tired of this political campaign. Since Alex Rodriguez is probably finished as a Yankee, so perhaps he should run for president.
High School Division: Ada High was 8-0 going into this Friday night and faced an opponent with only 2 losses in Delphos Jefferson. The game started in the rain, and the wet field in Ada slowed down both teams. Ada got two touchdowns on screen passes and kicked their first field goal of the season on route to a 17-0 victory. Next weekend, Ada of division VI, smallest schools, faces Lima Central Catholic of division V, somewhat larger schools, for the Northwest Conference championship.
Division III: Ohio Northern's furious fourth-quarter rally fell just short 28-23 at John Carroll. Washington U celebrated their head coach's 60th birthday with an 18-13 victory at Denison. Guilford edged Randolph Macon 38-35, turning Randolph Macon's homecoming into a real downer.
Division FCS (I-AA): Michael Strauss threw four TD passes in his first college start to lead Richmond's waltz over James Madison 35-29. Villanova thumped Georgia State 49-24. Northern Colorado steamrolled Idaho State 52-14 for the second win of the season for the Bears.
Rivalry and Trophy Games: #20 Stanford outgained Cal 2-1 and otherwise dominated the Bears 21-3 to retain the Stanford Axe. Michigan kicked a late field goal to overtake Michigan State for a 12-10 win. Thus Michigan regained the Paul Bunyan Trophy that had resided in East Lansing for the past three years. As they usually do, Wisconsin trampled Minnesota 38-13 to retain Paul Bunyan's Axe. Duke scored the winning TD with 14 seconds to go to topple North Carolina 33-30 and win the Victory Bell.
Ranked vs. Ranked: Jeff Driskel threw for only 93 yards but completed 4 TD passes as #2 Florida walloped #7 South Carolina 44-11 to take command of the SEC Eastern Division. #18 Texas A & M led #6 LSU 9-0 at the end of the first quarter, outgained the Tigers for the game, and even had more time of possession than the hard-running Tigers, but the Aggies gave the ball away five times while the Tigers held onto it, so LSU was able to overcome a determined A & M challenge 24-19 in College Station. Seth Doege threw 7 TD passes to lead #17 Texas Tech to a 56-53 win at #23 TCU in three overtimes. #4 Kansas State beat #13 West Virginia in a landslide 55-14.
Our Teams Triumphant: Zac Stacy, already holder of the Vandy record for rushing for a season, became the career rushing leader as well as he led Vandy to a 17-13 win over an Auburn team that has only won one game this year. In a war of religion and strong defenses, Notre Dame edged Brigham Young 17-14 in South Bend.
Vale of Tears: In a game that will have great impact on who will play in the ACC championship game, Virginia Tech outgained #19 Clemson and held down the normally efficient Clemson offense. Unfortunately, Tech gave the ball away four times to one for Clemson and gave the game away as well 38-17. #3 Oregon scored 43 points in the first half against Arizona State and refrained thereafter, outracing the Sun Devils 43-21. Wake Forest came off a bye to dump error-prone Virginia 16-10. Matt Barkley threw six touchdown passes and claimed his school's record for career TD passes as#10 Southern Cal rendered the Colorado Golden Buffaloes extinct 50-10. North Carolina State kicked a field goal with 23 seconds left to take a 20-18 lead over Maryland, and the Terps managed an unsuccessful field goal attempt with two seconds left in a tense loss.
Say What??: Toledo led #21 Cincinnati throughout the game and held off an attempted last-minute comeback to upend the Bearcats 29-23 in Toledo. #11 Georgia underestimated Kentucky but managed to pull out a 29-24 victory.
Corrections Report: Ohio State's star QB, sophomore Braxton Miller, was injured in the third quarter and was taken to the hospital as the game continued with OSU down by a touchdown. Junior Kenny Guiton replaced Miller. Guiton had a rough start, but he led a last-minute drive and threw a TD pass with 3 seconds on the clock. Guiton then coolly completed a pass for the 2-point conversion to tie the game. Ohio State scored a TD on their overtime possession, and Purdue could muster neither a first down or a touchdown. #8 (ESPN) Ohio State 29-22 over the Boilermakers. (Incidentally, Braxton Miller was released from the hospital, apparently OK.) Penn State dominated Iowa in every category en route to clubbing the Hawkeyes 38-7 (early 4th quarter).
Pentagon Papers: New Mexico outgained Air Force by almost 100 yards, but the Falcons were able to slip past the Lobos 28-23. Navy squeaked past Indiana 31-30 for their first victory over a Big Ten team since 1979. Eastern Michigan won their first game of the season by overwhelming Army 48-38.
Undefeated and Untied This Week: Emory, Peabody Conservatory, William and Mary, Miami of Ohio.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
October 13, 2012
Fall has fully arrived in Ada. We have cool temperatures and changing leaves. The Halloween decorations are in place, even on the concrete geese. Meanwhile my TV schedule provided surprises today. Many of the teams we follow appeared on TV today. Missouri vs. Alabama and Florida vs. Vanderbilt was not a surprise, but William and Mary and Richmond both appeared on regional cable TV channels today also. If Ohio Northern starts making regular TV appearances, I will know that the end of the world is imminent.
High School Division: Undefeated Ada established a 28-7 lead in the first half and a goal line stand preserved their halftime lead. Allen East got a third quarter touchdown, but Ada pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 42-14 win over the Mustangs. MaxPreps ranks Ada #2 in Ohio Division VI in football.
Division III: Ohio Northern took out their season's frustrations on hapless Marietta by devastating 56-14 margin over the Pioneers. The victory was the one hundredth career coaching victory for Ohio Northern's Dean Paul. Washington & Lee ran for 473 yards in grinding down Randolph Macon 49-14. #15 Wabash took an early 20-0 lead and held on to defeat game Wash U 34-14.
Division FCS (I-AA): Richmond celebrated the nearness of basketball season by abandoning defense in a 44-40 loss at New Hampshire. Georgia State claimed their first victory of the season with a will, pounding Rhode Island 41-7 in the first victory for either team. William and Mary missed a conversion to succumb to James Madison 27-26 in double overtime. Cal Poly remained undefeated as they romped over Northern Colorado (1-5).
Rivalry and Trophy Games: In a hard-hitting defensive struggle, #7 Notre Dame kicked a last minute field goal to force #17 Stanford into overtime and then held the Cardinal out of the end zone on two shots from the one in overtime to defeat Stanford 20-13 for the Legends Trophy. In the Red River Rivalry, #13 Oklahoma slaughtered the #15 Texas Longhorns 63-21 to win the Golden Hat, the Red River Rivalry Trophy, and the Governors' Trophy. Maryland ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown and won the opening and closing quarters en route to a close 27-20 victory over Virginia to claim the Tydings Trophy. #24 Boise State ran for more than 200 yards and played great defense to stop Fresno State 20-10 to hold onto the Milk Can.
Ranked vs. Ranked: #3 South Carolina at #9 LSU outplayed #3 South Carolina on both sides of the ball. The Gamecocks' made a late charge, but it was too little and too late as the Tigers held on 23-21. #22 Texas A & M's SEC-level defense was expected to be able to handle #23 Louisiana Tech in the replay of the postponed season opener for both teams. A & M's quarterback Johnny Manziel threw six TD passes, and the Aggies needed all of them as they squeaked past Tech 59-57 in Shreveport.
Surprise Parties: Seth Doege threw six TD passes and Texas Tech stuffed West Virginia's high-scoring offense en route to a 49-14 pummeling of the #5 Mountaineers. Iowa upended Michigan State, which had been ranked earlier this year 19-16 in double overtime. Iowa State gave #6 Kansas State a real battle before succumbing 27-21. K-State got three touchdowns from star quarterback Collin Klein. Toledo, 6-1, edged Eastern Michigan, 0-6, 52-47 in a defensive struggle.
Our Teams Triumphant: Duke took a 20-0 lead over Virginia Tech in the first quarter in Durham, but the Hokies were able to begin the comeback with a touchdown late in the first quarter and continued to roll to a 41-20 victory over Duke. Miami lost both their first conference game and their starting quarterback in an 18-14 victory by North Carolina.
Vale of Tears: Colorado put on a scoring burst in the late second quarter to only trail 20-17 at halftime against Arizona State. Unfortunately, the Sun Devils returned the second half kickoff for a TD and never looked back. ASU 51, Colorado 17. The head coaches, Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel, had been teammates at Kent State, but there was little brotherly love as #1 Alabama visited Missouri. In a rainy game interrupted by lightning, Alabama's defense and running game were way to much for Mizzou. The Tide was a tsunami that swept over Mizzou 42-10. Denard Robinson ran for two TDs and threw for two more to lead #25 Michigan over Illinois 45-0. Zac Dysert passed for less than 200 yards and threw two interceptions as Bowling Green used a big second half to handle Miami 37-12. San Diego State dominated the second and third quarters to drop Colorado State 38-14. Vandy's defense played well, but neither their special teams nor their offense could equal #8 Florida as the Gators won 31-17.
Corrections Department: #8 Ohio State was well ahead in the fourth quarter, but they had to hold off a determined Indiana comeback. At the end, Indiana ran out of time as the Buckeyes held on 52-49.
Pentagon Papers: Navy swamped Central Michigan on Thursday night 31-13. Air Force's backup QB Kale Peterson played only one play against Wyoming, but he scored a TD on a 5-yard bootleg to complete the Falcon comeback to defeat the Cowboys 28-27 in Laramie. Kent State clubbed Army 31-17.
Undefeated and Untied this Week: Emory, Peabody Conservatory, Penn State.
High School Division: Undefeated Ada established a 28-7 lead in the first half and a goal line stand preserved their halftime lead. Allen East got a third quarter touchdown, but Ada pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 42-14 win over the Mustangs. MaxPreps ranks Ada #2 in Ohio Division VI in football.
Division III: Ohio Northern took out their season's frustrations on hapless Marietta by devastating 56-14 margin over the Pioneers. The victory was the one hundredth career coaching victory for Ohio Northern's Dean Paul. Washington & Lee ran for 473 yards in grinding down Randolph Macon 49-14. #15 Wabash took an early 20-0 lead and held on to defeat game Wash U 34-14.
Division FCS (I-AA): Richmond celebrated the nearness of basketball season by abandoning defense in a 44-40 loss at New Hampshire. Georgia State claimed their first victory of the season with a will, pounding Rhode Island 41-7 in the first victory for either team. William and Mary missed a conversion to succumb to James Madison 27-26 in double overtime. Cal Poly remained undefeated as they romped over Northern Colorado (1-5).
Rivalry and Trophy Games: In a hard-hitting defensive struggle, #7 Notre Dame kicked a last minute field goal to force #17 Stanford into overtime and then held the Cardinal out of the end zone on two shots from the one in overtime to defeat Stanford 20-13 for the Legends Trophy. In the Red River Rivalry, #13 Oklahoma slaughtered the #15 Texas Longhorns 63-21 to win the Golden Hat, the Red River Rivalry Trophy, and the Governors' Trophy. Maryland ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown and won the opening and closing quarters en route to a close 27-20 victory over Virginia to claim the Tydings Trophy. #24 Boise State ran for more than 200 yards and played great defense to stop Fresno State 20-10 to hold onto the Milk Can.
Ranked vs. Ranked: #3 South Carolina at #9 LSU outplayed #3 South Carolina on both sides of the ball. The Gamecocks' made a late charge, but it was too little and too late as the Tigers held on 23-21. #22 Texas A & M's SEC-level defense was expected to be able to handle #23 Louisiana Tech in the replay of the postponed season opener for both teams. A & M's quarterback Johnny Manziel threw six TD passes, and the Aggies needed all of them as they squeaked past Tech 59-57 in Shreveport.
Surprise Parties: Seth Doege threw six TD passes and Texas Tech stuffed West Virginia's high-scoring offense en route to a 49-14 pummeling of the #5 Mountaineers. Iowa upended Michigan State, which had been ranked earlier this year 19-16 in double overtime. Iowa State gave #6 Kansas State a real battle before succumbing 27-21. K-State got three touchdowns from star quarterback Collin Klein. Toledo, 6-1, edged Eastern Michigan, 0-6, 52-47 in a defensive struggle.
Our Teams Triumphant: Duke took a 20-0 lead over Virginia Tech in the first quarter in Durham, but the Hokies were able to begin the comeback with a touchdown late in the first quarter and continued to roll to a 41-20 victory over Duke. Miami lost both their first conference game and their starting quarterback in an 18-14 victory by North Carolina.
Vale of Tears: Colorado put on a scoring burst in the late second quarter to only trail 20-17 at halftime against Arizona State. Unfortunately, the Sun Devils returned the second half kickoff for a TD and never looked back. ASU 51, Colorado 17. The head coaches, Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel, had been teammates at Kent State, but there was little brotherly love as #1 Alabama visited Missouri. In a rainy game interrupted by lightning, Alabama's defense and running game were way to much for Mizzou. The Tide was a tsunami that swept over Mizzou 42-10. Denard Robinson ran for two TDs and threw for two more to lead #25 Michigan over Illinois 45-0. Zac Dysert passed for less than 200 yards and threw two interceptions as Bowling Green used a big second half to handle Miami 37-12. San Diego State dominated the second and third quarters to drop Colorado State 38-14. Vandy's defense played well, but neither their special teams nor their offense could equal #8 Florida as the Gators won 31-17.
Corrections Department: #8 Ohio State was well ahead in the fourth quarter, but they had to hold off a determined Indiana comeback. At the end, Indiana ran out of time as the Buckeyes held on 52-49.
Pentagon Papers: Navy swamped Central Michigan on Thursday night 31-13. Air Force's backup QB Kale Peterson played only one play against Wyoming, but he scored a TD on a 5-yard bootleg to complete the Falcon comeback to defeat the Cowboys 28-27 in Laramie. Kent State clubbed Army 31-17.
Undefeated and Untied this Week: Emory, Peabody Conservatory, Penn State.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
October 6, 2012
Fall is definitely here. The highs for this weekend will be in the 50s, and the leaves are turning. Ada is full of mums because it is homecoming for both Ada High and for Ohio Northern. Fall in Ohio.
High School Division: This season has presented a real weather challenge for high schools. This Friday night brought cold rain, but at least no interruption for lightning. Ada and Crestview were tied at 14 at halftime and at the end of the third quarter. Ada's Kellen Decker turned a screen pass into a 69 yard game-winning touchdown. Ada held off the Knights 26-21.
Division III Doings: Ohio Northern was a little too generous in hosting Baldwin Wallace for ONU's homecoming. BW outpointed the Polar Bears 22-20. Randolph Macon hosted their first night game against Catholic U, but the Yellow Jackets were not very hospitable, stinging Catholic 45-12.
FCS (Division I-AA) Stuff: Public Ivy William and Mary took a 24-7 halftime lead and then held on to defeat private Ivy Penn 34-28. Richmond got two late interceptions to hold off Villanova
28-17. New Hampshire dumped Georgia State 44-21. Montana devastated Northern Colorado 40-17.
Ranked vs. Ranked: #4 LSU scored two field goals, the only points, in the first half against # 10 Florida. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Florida scored the only points of the second half, two touchdowns, to defeat LSU 14-6 in Gainesville. Geno Smith threw four TD passes to lead #8 West Virginia in a successful trip to Austin in edging #11 Texas 48-45. #6 South Carolina clobbered #5 Georgia 35-7.
Grudge: Vandy traveled to Columbia to welcome Missouri to the SEC. Missouri lost its star QB James Franklin in the first half, gave up a safety in the first quarter, and took a close loss 19-15. North Carolina outrushed Virginia Tech by nearly 300 yards in thrashing the Hokies 48-34 in Chapel Hill.
Say What??: North Carolina State scored a fourth down touchdown with 16 seconds to go to upend #3 Florida State 17-16. #18 Stanford had to score two late TDs to force Arizona into overtime. Stanford stopped Arizona's overtime possession with an interception and then scored a TD to overcome Arizona 54-48.
Rivalry and Trophy Games: On Friday night, usually high-scoring BYU defeated normally high-scoring Utah State 6-3 to take the Old Wagon Wheel. The victory also gives BYU a leg up toward claiming the Beehive Boot, the reward for the best major college football team in Utah. The Sunflower Showdown was a little one-sided as Kansas State mauled Kansas 56-16 to grab the Governor's Cup. #2 Oregon outraced traditional rival #23 Washington 52-21.
Our Teams Triumphant: Maryland scored a touchdown with less than 6 minutes to go to overtake Wake Forest 19-14 for its third victory of the year. Maryland has already won one more game than it did all of last year. Hurricane lose power as they go north, which may help to explain #9 Notre Dame's domination of Miami 41-3.
Vale of Tears: Wisconsin dominated Illinois 31-14. Zac Dysert passed for over 300 yards, but he could not overcome a superior Cincinnati team that destroyed his Red Hawks 52-14. Fresno State completed its sacking of Colorado by pounding Colorado State 28-7.
Corrections News: Penn State upended #24 Northwestern 39-24 to bring happiness to Happy Valley. #12 Ohio State outplayed #21 Nebraska in all phases of the game, bulldozing the Huskers 63-38 in Columbus.
Pentagon Papers: Navy scored a late touchdown and two-point conversion to force an overtime against Air Force, and then scored a touchdown in the OT to torpedo the Falcons 28-21 in Colorado Springs. Army running back Brent Steelman scored his third rushing TD of the game with less than a minute to go as Army edged Boston College 34-31.
Undefeated and Untied This Week: Emory, Peabody Conservatory, Washington U St. Louis, Colorado U, (Thankfully) the Colorado Rockies, after only 98 losses.
High School Division: This season has presented a real weather challenge for high schools. This Friday night brought cold rain, but at least no interruption for lightning. Ada and Crestview were tied at 14 at halftime and at the end of the third quarter. Ada's Kellen Decker turned a screen pass into a 69 yard game-winning touchdown. Ada held off the Knights 26-21.
Division III Doings: Ohio Northern was a little too generous in hosting Baldwin Wallace for ONU's homecoming. BW outpointed the Polar Bears 22-20. Randolph Macon hosted their first night game against Catholic U, but the Yellow Jackets were not very hospitable, stinging Catholic 45-12.
FCS (Division I-AA) Stuff: Public Ivy William and Mary took a 24-7 halftime lead and then held on to defeat private Ivy Penn 34-28. Richmond got two late interceptions to hold off Villanova
28-17. New Hampshire dumped Georgia State 44-21. Montana devastated Northern Colorado 40-17.
Ranked vs. Ranked: #4 LSU scored two field goals, the only points, in the first half against # 10 Florida. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Florida scored the only points of the second half, two touchdowns, to defeat LSU 14-6 in Gainesville. Geno Smith threw four TD passes to lead #8 West Virginia in a successful trip to Austin in edging #11 Texas 48-45. #6 South Carolina clobbered #5 Georgia 35-7.
Grudge: Vandy traveled to Columbia to welcome Missouri to the SEC. Missouri lost its star QB James Franklin in the first half, gave up a safety in the first quarter, and took a close loss 19-15. North Carolina outrushed Virginia Tech by nearly 300 yards in thrashing the Hokies 48-34 in Chapel Hill.
Say What??: North Carolina State scored a fourth down touchdown with 16 seconds to go to upend #3 Florida State 17-16. #18 Stanford had to score two late TDs to force Arizona into overtime. Stanford stopped Arizona's overtime possession with an interception and then scored a TD to overcome Arizona 54-48.
Rivalry and Trophy Games: On Friday night, usually high-scoring BYU defeated normally high-scoring Utah State 6-3 to take the Old Wagon Wheel. The victory also gives BYU a leg up toward claiming the Beehive Boot, the reward for the best major college football team in Utah. The Sunflower Showdown was a little one-sided as Kansas State mauled Kansas 56-16 to grab the Governor's Cup. #2 Oregon outraced traditional rival #23 Washington 52-21.
Our Teams Triumphant: Maryland scored a touchdown with less than 6 minutes to go to overtake Wake Forest 19-14 for its third victory of the year. Maryland has already won one more game than it did all of last year. Hurricane lose power as they go north, which may help to explain #9 Notre Dame's domination of Miami 41-3.
Vale of Tears: Wisconsin dominated Illinois 31-14. Zac Dysert passed for over 300 yards, but he could not overcome a superior Cincinnati team that destroyed his Red Hawks 52-14. Fresno State completed its sacking of Colorado by pounding Colorado State 28-7.
Corrections News: Penn State upended #24 Northwestern 39-24 to bring happiness to Happy Valley. #12 Ohio State outplayed #21 Nebraska in all phases of the game, bulldozing the Huskers 63-38 in Columbus.
Pentagon Papers: Navy scored a late touchdown and two-point conversion to force an overtime against Air Force, and then scored a touchdown in the OT to torpedo the Falcons 28-21 in Colorado Springs. Army running back Brent Steelman scored his third rushing TD of the game with less than a minute to go as Army edged Boston College 34-31.
Undefeated and Untied This Week: Emory, Peabody Conservatory, Washington U St. Louis, Colorado U, (Thankfully) the Colorado Rockies, after only 98 losses.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
September 22, 2012
First Saturday of autumn arrives; the leaves are beginning to change color, and the temperatures are cooler. The atmosphere for Ada's football game was electric, particularly when the officials stopped the game in the second quarter for lightning. If this sounds familiar, this is the second time this season for a lightning storm to ruin Friday night football. Saturday afternoon brought another thunderstorm, this time with hail. Whatever happened to a calm transition to autumn?
High School Division. Ada's game at Bluffton had to be stopped in the second quarter on Friday night. The game continued at 1:30 PM on Saturday in Ada. Fortunately, they got the game finished before the hail came. Ada trampled Bluffton 53-29, and, according to an Ada assistant coach, the game was not that close.
Division III. Ohio Northern took a 14-0 lead at home vs. Capital, waited an hour for the weather to improve, and then finished a 28-14 win. An interception return for a touchdown put Washington U ahead in the third quarter, and the Bears were able to finish off Kenyon College 28-23 for the first win of the season.
Division FCS (I-AA). Richmond rolled to a 28-7 halftime lead and then tied the second half 7-7 in taking a 35-14 victory at Georgia State. Delaware carpet bombed William and Mary 51-21. Now that Colorado has won a game, William and Mary is now on "will they ever win" watch. Undefeated Montana clubbed Northern Colorado 41-16.
Ranked vs. Ranked. #4 Florida State scored four straight touchdowns in the second half to overtake #10 Clemson 49-37. #15 Kansas State avenged last year's 41 point blowout and upset #6 Oklahoma 24-19. #3 Oregon devastated #22 Arizona 49-0 behind a defense that stopped Arizona six times in the red zone. #11 Notre Dame's defense led by linebacker Manti Te'o intercepted five passes and recovered a fumble en route to frustrating Denard Robinson and #18 Michigan 13-6 at South Bend.
Upsetting, Isn't It. Colorado scored three touchdowns in the final 7 minutes at Washington State to upend Washington State 35-34. Quarterback Sean Mannion passed for 379 yards in leading Oregon State to a 27-20 upending of #19 UCLA. UCLA will not be catching up with USC at this rate. Central Michigan kicked a late field goal to edge home-standing Iowa 32-31. Northern Illinois rallied with seventeen points in the fourth quarter to overcome Kansas 30-23. In an unexpectedly low-scoring game, #24 Boise State edged BYU 7-6 on the Smurf Turf in Boise.
Our Teams Triumphant. #14 Florida had beaten Kentucky 25 straight times coming into today's game, and Florida chewed up and shut out the Wildcats 38-0. Ada's Zac Dysert threw three touchdown passes as Dysert's Miami Red Hawks spoiled the MAC conference debut of Massachusetts 27-16. Dysert also broke the Miami record for career completions, surpassing a fellow named Roethlisberger. In a cupcake game, Virginia Tech failed to score in the first quarter, but then rolled over Bowling Green 37-0. Arizona State scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and continued to steamroll Utah 37-7.
Hanging Our Heads. Tavon Austin, a native of Baltimore, caught 13 passes, including 3 for touchdowns, in leading #8 West Virginia to a 31-21 slow-motion victory over Maryland. Kenny Cain had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in leading #17 TCU to victory in their duel with the Virginia Cavaliers. QB Connor Shaw of #7 South Carolina completed his last 20 passes to lead the Gamecocks in a 31-10 ripping of Mizzou. #5 Georgia chewed up Vanderbilt 48-3 behind 250 yards and 2 TDs from quarterback Aaron Murray. Utah State dominated Colorado State 31-19 behind 205 yards rushing from Kerwynn Williams. Illinois turned the ball over six times on the way to submitting to Louisiana Tech 52-24 at Illinois.
What Game Are We Playing? Old Dominion's quarterback Tyler Heinicke threw for over 700 yards and five touchdowns in leading a huge second half comeback to defeat New Hampshire 64-61. New Hampshire's Andy Vailas only threw for five touchdowns in defeat.
Probation Report. Sixteenth-ranked Ohio State allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown and started very slowly, but QB Braxton Miller led the Bucks to a 29-15 victory over the 0-3 Blazers of Alabama-Birmingham. QB Matt McGloin threw for a career high in yards and rushed for two touchdowns to carry Penn State to a 24-13 destruction of Temple.
Pentagon Papers. Wake Forest played strong longer than Army to outflank the Black Knights 49-37. Navy shocked and awed the Keydets of division I-AA VMI 41-3. Air Force ran roughshod over UNLV in the first half, but the rebels came back in the second half to defeat the Falcons 38-35 in Las Vegas.
Undefeated and Untied This Week. Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Randolph Macon.
High School Division. Ada's game at Bluffton had to be stopped in the second quarter on Friday night. The game continued at 1:30 PM on Saturday in Ada. Fortunately, they got the game finished before the hail came. Ada trampled Bluffton 53-29, and, according to an Ada assistant coach, the game was not that close.
Division III. Ohio Northern took a 14-0 lead at home vs. Capital, waited an hour for the weather to improve, and then finished a 28-14 win. An interception return for a touchdown put Washington U ahead in the third quarter, and the Bears were able to finish off Kenyon College 28-23 for the first win of the season.
Division FCS (I-AA). Richmond rolled to a 28-7 halftime lead and then tied the second half 7-7 in taking a 35-14 victory at Georgia State. Delaware carpet bombed William and Mary 51-21. Now that Colorado has won a game, William and Mary is now on "will they ever win" watch. Undefeated Montana clubbed Northern Colorado 41-16.
Ranked vs. Ranked. #4 Florida State scored four straight touchdowns in the second half to overtake #10 Clemson 49-37. #15 Kansas State avenged last year's 41 point blowout and upset #6 Oklahoma 24-19. #3 Oregon devastated #22 Arizona 49-0 behind a defense that stopped Arizona six times in the red zone. #11 Notre Dame's defense led by linebacker Manti Te'o intercepted five passes and recovered a fumble en route to frustrating Denard Robinson and #18 Michigan 13-6 at South Bend.
Upsetting, Isn't It. Colorado scored three touchdowns in the final 7 minutes at Washington State to upend Washington State 35-34. Quarterback Sean Mannion passed for 379 yards in leading Oregon State to a 27-20 upending of #19 UCLA. UCLA will not be catching up with USC at this rate. Central Michigan kicked a late field goal to edge home-standing Iowa 32-31. Northern Illinois rallied with seventeen points in the fourth quarter to overcome Kansas 30-23. In an unexpectedly low-scoring game, #24 Boise State edged BYU 7-6 on the Smurf Turf in Boise.
Our Teams Triumphant. #14 Florida had beaten Kentucky 25 straight times coming into today's game, and Florida chewed up and shut out the Wildcats 38-0. Ada's Zac Dysert threw three touchdown passes as Dysert's Miami Red Hawks spoiled the MAC conference debut of Massachusetts 27-16. Dysert also broke the Miami record for career completions, surpassing a fellow named Roethlisberger. In a cupcake game, Virginia Tech failed to score in the first quarter, but then rolled over Bowling Green 37-0. Arizona State scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and continued to steamroll Utah 37-7.
Hanging Our Heads. Tavon Austin, a native of Baltimore, caught 13 passes, including 3 for touchdowns, in leading #8 West Virginia to a 31-21 slow-motion victory over Maryland. Kenny Cain had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in leading #17 TCU to victory in their duel with the Virginia Cavaliers. QB Connor Shaw of #7 South Carolina completed his last 20 passes to lead the Gamecocks in a 31-10 ripping of Mizzou. #5 Georgia chewed up Vanderbilt 48-3 behind 250 yards and 2 TDs from quarterback Aaron Murray. Utah State dominated Colorado State 31-19 behind 205 yards rushing from Kerwynn Williams. Illinois turned the ball over six times on the way to submitting to Louisiana Tech 52-24 at Illinois.
What Game Are We Playing? Old Dominion's quarterback Tyler Heinicke threw for over 700 yards and five touchdowns in leading a huge second half comeback to defeat New Hampshire 64-61. New Hampshire's Andy Vailas only threw for five touchdowns in defeat.
Probation Report. Sixteenth-ranked Ohio State allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown and started very slowly, but QB Braxton Miller led the Bucks to a 29-15 victory over the 0-3 Blazers of Alabama-Birmingham. QB Matt McGloin threw for a career high in yards and rushed for two touchdowns to carry Penn State to a 24-13 destruction of Temple.
Pentagon Papers. Wake Forest played strong longer than Army to outflank the Black Knights 49-37. Navy shocked and awed the Keydets of division I-AA VMI 41-3. Air Force ran roughshod over UNLV in the first half, but the rebels came back in the second half to defeat the Falcons 38-35 in Las Vegas.
Undefeated and Untied This Week. Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Randolph Macon.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
September 15, 2012
Ada presented the Harvest and Herb Festival today. We had a parade, and Main Street was lined with craft booths and food booths. Today's Festival was markedly than that of previous years because Ada First United Methodist Church no longer marks the north end of the festival area. Instead, the church served meals in rented space, and church members sat at the vacant lot that marks where the old church stood to talk to citizens and residents who have thoughts or prayers to offer there. The building may have burned down, but the congregation continues to "proclaim Christ and make disciples." The day concluded with Punkin Chunkin (catapults and trebuchets throwing pumpkins for distance) at the Ada Park.
High School Division. Ada faced traditional rival Upper Scioto Valley. The rivalry is not the same since USV had to give up football a few years ago and left the Northwest Conference, but it is still a game between close neighbors. Ada, 4-0, slaughtered the Rams 42-0 behind 150 yards rushing plus long punt returns from running back Kellen Baker.
Division III. Ohio Northern honored our veterans at today's home opener. Unfortunately, the game did not go as well as the celebration. The Heidelberg Student Princes ruled over ONU 43-7. Washington U. turned the ball over 5 times en route to a 20-14 loss to Coe College. Randolph Macon unleashed a powerful running game to outscore Bethany 49-33.
FCS (Division I-A). William and Mary, 0-3, pushed #12 Towson but lost 20-17 at Towson in its conference opener. Richmond shocked and awed in-state rival VMI 47-6. Richmond returned the opening kickoff for a TD and never looked back. Texas San Antonio dominated Georgia State 38-14 in Atlanta. Sacramento State, having already beaten Colorado, defeated Northern Colorado 28-17 in Sacramento.
Trophy and Rivalry Games. Holy War: Utah vs. #25 BYU
They Did What?? Pitt had played very badly in its first two games, but the Panthers rose up to take the ball away from #13 Virginia Tech 4 times and to outplay a misfiring Hokie team for a 35-17 upset in Pittsburgh. Louisiana Monroe, coming off an upset of a top-10 Arkansas team, pushed Auburn to overtime before losing 31-28 at Auburn. Pretty soon, no SEC team will want to play Monroe. Either Utah State is much stronger than we thought, or Wisconsin is a lot weaker, because the Badgers needed Utah State to miss a last-second field goal to claim a 16-14 victory over the Aggies.
Ranked vs. Ranked. #21 Stanford's defense held down the offense of #2 Southern Cal and upended the Trojans 21-14 in Palo Alto. #18 Florida trailed #23 Tennessee 14-10 at halftime, but the Gators scored the final 24 points of the game and pulled away from the Volunteers 37-20 at Knoxville. #20 Notre Dame made the offense of #10 Michigan State ineffective and scored repeatedly on the vaunted Spartan defense in a 20-3 whipping.
Our Teams Triumphant. Illinois, missing a few players with injuries, bullied an overmatched Charleston Southern squad 44-0. Vanderbilt also visited the cupcake store, pummeling the Presbyterian Blue Hose 58-0. #17 Michigan pulverized visiting the Massachusetts Minutemen 63-13, in another major power versus victim matchup. #9 West Virginia plundered James Madison 42-12. Missouri had to play without injured starting QB James Franklin, but his redshirt freshman replacement, Corbin Berkstresser, helped by four takeaways by Mizzou's defense, managed a close victory over Arizona State 24-20 in Columbia.
Sighing and Crying. Connecticut got some revenge against their old coach, Randy Edsall, and the Maryland Terps, 24-21. Boise State controlled Miami's passing attack and ran for nearly 300 yards in trampling the Red Hawks 39-12. Ada's Zac Dysert completed 20 of 27 passes for less than 200 yards and no touchdowns. #19 Louisville piled up a 36-7 halftime lead and held off North Carolina's second half comeback to win 39-34. Georgia Tech used long runs and a long touchdown pass to establish a big early lead and then coasted to a 56-20 blowout of Virginia. San Jose State overwhelmed the Colorado State defense and dominated the Rams 40-20. Fresno State scored five touchdowns in the first quarter and never looked back in a 69-14 roasting of Colorado.
On Probation: #12 Ohio State took an early lead, but Cal came back with a vengeance in the second half. Buckeye QB Braxton Miller completed a 72-yard pass with about 3 and a half minutes left and then the Bucks intercepted a Cal pass to end Cal's last threat. The Buckeye defense needs to play better as the year goes on. Penn State took an early lead over Navy and never looked back, claiming their first victory of the season 34-7.
Pentagon Papers. Northern Illinois squeaked past Army 41-40.
Undefeated and Untied This Week. Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Air Force
High School Division. Ada faced traditional rival Upper Scioto Valley. The rivalry is not the same since USV had to give up football a few years ago and left the Northwest Conference, but it is still a game between close neighbors. Ada, 4-0, slaughtered the Rams 42-0 behind 150 yards rushing plus long punt returns from running back Kellen Baker.
Division III. Ohio Northern honored our veterans at today's home opener. Unfortunately, the game did not go as well as the celebration. The Heidelberg Student Princes ruled over ONU 43-7. Washington U. turned the ball over 5 times en route to a 20-14 loss to Coe College. Randolph Macon unleashed a powerful running game to outscore Bethany 49-33.
FCS (Division I-A). William and Mary, 0-3, pushed #12 Towson but lost 20-17 at Towson in its conference opener. Richmond shocked and awed in-state rival VMI 47-6. Richmond returned the opening kickoff for a TD and never looked back. Texas San Antonio dominated Georgia State 38-14 in Atlanta. Sacramento State, having already beaten Colorado, defeated Northern Colorado 28-17 in Sacramento.
Trophy and Rivalry Games. Holy War: Utah vs. #25 BYU
They Did What?? Pitt had played very badly in its first two games, but the Panthers rose up to take the ball away from #13 Virginia Tech 4 times and to outplay a misfiring Hokie team for a 35-17 upset in Pittsburgh. Louisiana Monroe, coming off an upset of a top-10 Arkansas team, pushed Auburn to overtime before losing 31-28 at Auburn. Pretty soon, no SEC team will want to play Monroe. Either Utah State is much stronger than we thought, or Wisconsin is a lot weaker, because the Badgers needed Utah State to miss a last-second field goal to claim a 16-14 victory over the Aggies.
Ranked vs. Ranked. #21 Stanford's defense held down the offense of #2 Southern Cal and upended the Trojans 21-14 in Palo Alto. #18 Florida trailed #23 Tennessee 14-10 at halftime, but the Gators scored the final 24 points of the game and pulled away from the Volunteers 37-20 at Knoxville. #20 Notre Dame made the offense of #10 Michigan State ineffective and scored repeatedly on the vaunted Spartan defense in a 20-3 whipping.
Our Teams Triumphant. Illinois, missing a few players with injuries, bullied an overmatched Charleston Southern squad 44-0. Vanderbilt also visited the cupcake store, pummeling the Presbyterian Blue Hose 58-0. #17 Michigan pulverized visiting the Massachusetts Minutemen 63-13, in another major power versus victim matchup. #9 West Virginia plundered James Madison 42-12. Missouri had to play without injured starting QB James Franklin, but his redshirt freshman replacement, Corbin Berkstresser, helped by four takeaways by Mizzou's defense, managed a close victory over Arizona State 24-20 in Columbia.
Sighing and Crying. Connecticut got some revenge against their old coach, Randy Edsall, and the Maryland Terps, 24-21. Boise State controlled Miami's passing attack and ran for nearly 300 yards in trampling the Red Hawks 39-12. Ada's Zac Dysert completed 20 of 27 passes for less than 200 yards and no touchdowns. #19 Louisville piled up a 36-7 halftime lead and held off North Carolina's second half comeback to win 39-34. Georgia Tech used long runs and a long touchdown pass to establish a big early lead and then coasted to a 56-20 blowout of Virginia. San Jose State overwhelmed the Colorado State defense and dominated the Rams 40-20. Fresno State scored five touchdowns in the first quarter and never looked back in a 69-14 roasting of Colorado.
On Probation: #12 Ohio State took an early lead, but Cal came back with a vengeance in the second half. Buckeye QB Braxton Miller completed a 72-yard pass with about 3 and a half minutes left and then the Bucks intercepted a Cal pass to end Cal's last threat. The Buckeye defense needs to play better as the year goes on. Penn State took an early lead over Navy and never looked back, claiming their first victory of the season 34-7.
Pentagon Papers. Northern Illinois squeaked past Army 41-40.
Undefeated and Untied This Week. Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Air Force
Saturday, September 8, 2012
September 8, 2012
Friday night in Ada reminded all of us that football and our other pursuits must yield to forces beyond our control--lightning in this case. Lightning in the area interrupted the high school football games in the area, and so Friday night football was continued on Saturday afternoon or evening. The officials stopped the Ada game between a Collumbus Grove touchdown and Grove's extra point with about 5 minutes to go in the second quarter. Ada led 28-6. Our thunderstorms might have been a bad omen for the Big Ten, who ranked teams did not shine on this weekend.
High School Division. Ada's Bulldogs kept up their momentum in the Saturday night continuation of Friday night's game, biting the Columbus Grove Bulldogs 55-21. Ada's head coach, Mike Fell, had a 75-25 record at Columbus Grove earlier in his career.
Division III. Randolph Macon opened their newly renovated stadium with a 21-6 victory against Averett. Rhodes College, playing at home, overtook Washington U and forced their game into overtime. Rhodes kicked a field goal on their overtime possession, but Washingon committed penalties that made any scoring attempt impossible.
Trophy and Rivalry Games. Cincinnati, led by quarterback Munchie Legaux, dominated Pitt in the River City rivalry 34-10. Because Pitt is leaving the Big East for the ACC, this rivalry will end after this year, joining an illustrious list of ended rivalries like Texas vs. Texas A & M, Pitt vs. Penn State, and Missouri vs. Kansas. I guess that Cincinnati gets to keep the Paddlewheel Trophy. Utah State got a leg up on the Beehive Boot among Utah schools by squeaking past Utah in overtime 27-20. Iowa State smothered Iowa 9-6 to claim the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
Our Teams Victorious. Ohio State's quarterback, Braxton Miller, ran for three touchdowns and threw for a fourth as the # 14 Buckeyes rolled over Central Florida 31-16 in Columbus. #15 Virginia Tech pounded Austin Peay 42-7. Maryland built up a big lead against Temple and then held on for a 36-27 win. Zac Dysert of Ada completed more than 75% of his passes in leading Miami U. to a 30-14 win over Southern Illinois. Second-string QB Tommy Rees led #22 Notre Dame on a late fourth-quarter drive that finally overcame Purdue 20-17. #24 Florida trailed at halftime but stormed back to spoil the first SEC game for Texas A & M 20-17 at College Station. Taylor Kelley capably replaced Bronco rookie Brock Osweiler at QB and led Arizona State to a 45-14 romp over Illinois.
Division FCS. Richmond's Spiders stung Gardner Webb 41-8 in Richmond. William and Mary was unable to overcome both the rain and Lafayette, losing 17-14 at home. Northern Colorado overcame 148 yards of penalties and Mesa State of Colorado 40-3.
Sighs and Tears. Wake Forest scored a TD with about two minutes to go and held on to defeat North Carolina 28-27. A walk-on kicker for Sacramento State earned a scholarship by kicking a game-winning, last-second field goal to stun Colorado 30-28. (Will Colorado manage to win a game this season?) Georgia State got steamrolled by Tennessee 51-13. North Dakota State over Colorado State. Northwestern saved all its touchdowns for the fourth quarter and used a late Vandy fumble to humble the Commodores 23-13.
Oops. #8 Arkansas lost its lustful coach, Bobby Petrino, in the offseason to off field indiscretions, but they figured that they had scheduled a safe opponent in Louisiana Monroe. Arkansas took a big early lead, but Louisiana Monroe came back to take the game to overtime and then scored a touchdown on a broken play to upend Arkansas 34-31. UCLA's freshman quarterback, Brett Hundley, threw four TD passes, and the UCLA defense scored a safety en rout to puncturing the bubble of #16 Nebraska 36-30. Oregon State's aggressive defense stopped Heisman candidate Montee Ball of Wisconsin and dumped the #13 Badgers 10-7 at Corvallis. How rude!
Unhappy Valley. Virginia scored a late touchdown and needed four missed field goal attempts from Penn State to slip past the Nittany Lions 17-16.
Pentagon Papers. #19 Michigan got 426 yards of total offense and four touchdowns from quarterback Denard Robinson, but they needed all of it to hold off Air Force 31-25 in Ann Arbor. San Diego State blitzed Army.
Undefeated and Untied This Week. Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Ohio Northern.
High School Division. Ada's Bulldogs kept up their momentum in the Saturday night continuation of Friday night's game, biting the Columbus Grove Bulldogs 55-21. Ada's head coach, Mike Fell, had a 75-25 record at Columbus Grove earlier in his career.
Division III. Randolph Macon opened their newly renovated stadium with a 21-6 victory against Averett. Rhodes College, playing at home, overtook Washington U and forced their game into overtime. Rhodes kicked a field goal on their overtime possession, but Washingon committed penalties that made any scoring attempt impossible.
Trophy and Rivalry Games. Cincinnati, led by quarterback Munchie Legaux, dominated Pitt in the River City rivalry 34-10. Because Pitt is leaving the Big East for the ACC, this rivalry will end after this year, joining an illustrious list of ended rivalries like Texas vs. Texas A & M, Pitt vs. Penn State, and Missouri vs. Kansas. I guess that Cincinnati gets to keep the Paddlewheel Trophy. Utah State got a leg up on the Beehive Boot among Utah schools by squeaking past Utah in overtime 27-20. Iowa State smothered Iowa 9-6 to claim the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
Our Teams Victorious. Ohio State's quarterback, Braxton Miller, ran for three touchdowns and threw for a fourth as the # 14 Buckeyes rolled over Central Florida 31-16 in Columbus. #15 Virginia Tech pounded Austin Peay 42-7. Maryland built up a big lead against Temple and then held on for a 36-27 win. Zac Dysert of Ada completed more than 75% of his passes in leading Miami U. to a 30-14 win over Southern Illinois. Second-string QB Tommy Rees led #22 Notre Dame on a late fourth-quarter drive that finally overcame Purdue 20-17. #24 Florida trailed at halftime but stormed back to spoil the first SEC game for Texas A & M 20-17 at College Station. Taylor Kelley capably replaced Bronco rookie Brock Osweiler at QB and led Arizona State to a 45-14 romp over Illinois.
Division FCS. Richmond's Spiders stung Gardner Webb 41-8 in Richmond. William and Mary was unable to overcome both the rain and Lafayette, losing 17-14 at home. Northern Colorado overcame 148 yards of penalties and Mesa State of Colorado 40-3.
Sighs and Tears. Wake Forest scored a TD with about two minutes to go and held on to defeat North Carolina 28-27. A walk-on kicker for Sacramento State earned a scholarship by kicking a game-winning, last-second field goal to stun Colorado 30-28. (Will Colorado manage to win a game this season?) Georgia State got steamrolled by Tennessee 51-13. North Dakota State over Colorado State. Northwestern saved all its touchdowns for the fourth quarter and used a late Vandy fumble to humble the Commodores 23-13.
Oops. #8 Arkansas lost its lustful coach, Bobby Petrino, in the offseason to off field indiscretions, but they figured that they had scheduled a safe opponent in Louisiana Monroe. Arkansas took a big early lead, but Louisiana Monroe came back to take the game to overtime and then scored a touchdown on a broken play to upend Arkansas 34-31. UCLA's freshman quarterback, Brett Hundley, threw four TD passes, and the UCLA defense scored a safety en rout to puncturing the bubble of #16 Nebraska 36-30. Oregon State's aggressive defense stopped Heisman candidate Montee Ball of Wisconsin and dumped the #13 Badgers 10-7 at Corvallis. How rude!
Unhappy Valley. Virginia scored a late touchdown and needed four missed field goal attempts from Penn State to slip past the Nittany Lions 17-16.
Pentagon Papers. #19 Michigan got 426 yards of total offense and four touchdowns from quarterback Denard Robinson, but they needed all of it to hold off Air Force 31-25 in Ann Arbor. San Diego State blitzed Army.
Undefeated and Untied This Week. Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Ohio Northern.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Labor Day weekend
These days, school begins in August, as does high school football. For everyone except astronomers, though, fall arrives no later than Labor Day.
High School Division. This week Ada faced the mighty ground attack of the Spencerville Bearcats. Ada's defense was up to the challenge, limiting the Cats to around 100 rushing yards on the way to a 35-0 shutout of Spencerville.
Trophy Games. Colorado State upended Colorado 22-17 to claim the Centennial Cup. West Virginia captured the Governor's Cup by crushing Marshall 69-34. #25 Louisville drove 99 yards for a touchdown to open the game and never looked back as they dominated Kentucky to grab Kentucky's Governor's Cup.
Division III. Johns Hopkins spoiled the season opener for Randolph Macon 36-13. Washington U. St. Louis foolishly scheduled #1 and defending national champion Wisconsin Whitewater for their season opener and paid for their folly by suffering a 34-0 thrashing at home. North Carolina Wesleyan kicked a 40 yard field goal in overtime to slip past visiting Ohio Northern 16-13. Ohio Northern threw four interceptions.
Ranked on Ranked. Le'Veon Bell ran for 210 yards and two TDs to lead #13 Michigan State over #24 Boise State 17-13 in East Lansing. Second-ranked Alabama apparently succeeded in rebuilding their defense, because the Tide completely dominated #8 Michigan 41-14 at Jerry Jones's theme park in Dallas.
International Dept. Notre Dame whipped Navy with a shillelagh 50-10 in Dublin, Ireland, in a home game atmosphere for the Golden Domers.
Say What? California played Nevada (Reno) to reopen their remodeled stadium. They should have chosen a weaker opponent, as Nevada shocked the Golden Bears 31-24.
Our Teams Triumphant. Illinois ate their season opening cupcake, Western Michigan, 24-7. Arizona State also plundered the bakery shelves, burning Northern Arizona 63-6. #24 Florida overcame Bowling Green's first quarter lead to overawe BG 27-14. Virginia stepped on the Richmond Spiders 43-19. North Carolina annihilated Elon 62-0. Missouri had two early defensive touchdowns and two punt returns for touchdowns as the Tigers pulverized Southeast Louisiana 62-10. #16Virginia Tech kicked a last minute field goal to force overtime and kicked another in overtime to defeat Georgia Tech Monday night.
Losses and Moral Victories. On Thursday night, Vandy gave #9 South Carolina all they could handle before succumbing 17-14. The refs, probably replacements, missed a serious pass interference violation on the play that ended the Commodores' final drive. In a less glorious effort, Northern Colorado was crushed by Utah 41-0. Maryland edged William and Mary 7-6 at Maryland.
Pentagon Papers. Air Force bombed Idaho State 49-21.
On Probation. Penn State, before a home crowd of 108,000, had a 14-0 lead early, but could not hold the momentum. Final score, Ohio U 24, Penn State 14 in (un)Happy Valley. Ohio State hammered Miami of Ohio 56-10. Former Ada Bulldog Zac Dysert passed for 300 yards and 3 TDs for the Red Hawks.
High School Division. This week Ada faced the mighty ground attack of the Spencerville Bearcats. Ada's defense was up to the challenge, limiting the Cats to around 100 rushing yards on the way to a 35-0 shutout of Spencerville.
Trophy Games. Colorado State upended Colorado 22-17 to claim the Centennial Cup. West Virginia captured the Governor's Cup by crushing Marshall 69-34. #25 Louisville drove 99 yards for a touchdown to open the game and never looked back as they dominated Kentucky to grab Kentucky's Governor's Cup.
Division III. Johns Hopkins spoiled the season opener for Randolph Macon 36-13. Washington U. St. Louis foolishly scheduled #1 and defending national champion Wisconsin Whitewater for their season opener and paid for their folly by suffering a 34-0 thrashing at home. North Carolina Wesleyan kicked a 40 yard field goal in overtime to slip past visiting Ohio Northern 16-13. Ohio Northern threw four interceptions.
Ranked on Ranked. Le'Veon Bell ran for 210 yards and two TDs to lead #13 Michigan State over #24 Boise State 17-13 in East Lansing. Second-ranked Alabama apparently succeeded in rebuilding their defense, because the Tide completely dominated #8 Michigan 41-14 at Jerry Jones's theme park in Dallas.
International Dept. Notre Dame whipped Navy with a shillelagh 50-10 in Dublin, Ireland, in a home game atmosphere for the Golden Domers.
Say What? California played Nevada (Reno) to reopen their remodeled stadium. They should have chosen a weaker opponent, as Nevada shocked the Golden Bears 31-24.
Our Teams Triumphant. Illinois ate their season opening cupcake, Western Michigan, 24-7. Arizona State also plundered the bakery shelves, burning Northern Arizona 63-6. #24 Florida overcame Bowling Green's first quarter lead to overawe BG 27-14. Virginia stepped on the Richmond Spiders 43-19. North Carolina annihilated Elon 62-0. Missouri had two early defensive touchdowns and two punt returns for touchdowns as the Tigers pulverized Southeast Louisiana 62-10. #16Virginia Tech kicked a last minute field goal to force overtime and kicked another in overtime to defeat Georgia Tech Monday night.
Losses and Moral Victories. On Thursday night, Vandy gave #9 South Carolina all they could handle before succumbing 17-14. The refs, probably replacements, missed a serious pass interference violation on the play that ended the Commodores' final drive. In a less glorious effort, Northern Colorado was crushed by Utah 41-0. Maryland edged William and Mary 7-6 at Maryland.
Pentagon Papers. Air Force bombed Idaho State 49-21.
On Probation. Penn State, before a home crowd of 108,000, had a 14-0 lead early, but could not hold the momentum. Final score, Ohio U 24, Penn State 14 in (un)Happy Valley. Ohio State hammered Miami of Ohio 56-10. Former Ada Bulldog Zac Dysert passed for 300 yards and 3 TDs for the Red Hawks.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
August 26, 2012.
High School football began Friday night with Ada's Bulldogs dining on Hardin Northern 55-0. New QB Mason Acheson threw 3 TD passes, and running back Kellen Decker added 185 yards rushing and 4 TDs. According to observers, Hardin Northern only suited up 19 players against the juggernaut. Apparently, Ada's first four touchdown drives averages more than 60 yards and also took an average of less than 60 seconds. We expect much more challenge once Ada begins conference play.
High School football began Friday night with Ada's Bulldogs dining on Hardin Northern 55-0. New QB Mason Acheson threw 3 TD passes, and running back Kellen Decker added 185 yards rushing and 4 TDs. According to observers, Hardin Northern only suited up 19 players against the juggernaut. Apparently, Ada's first four touchdown drives averages more than 60 yards and also took an average of less than 60 seconds. We expect much more challenge once Ada begins conference play.
College football begins Thursday night with Vanderbilt. Conferences have been reconstructed and rivalries have disappeared. Texas vs. Texas A & M? Mizzou vs. Kansas? The rivals are now in different conferences and so these rivalry games may not be played again. There is something tragic about the death of rivalries that have taken many years to build and that have been at the heart of universities' football traditions. At least Colorado and Colorado State still begin their seasons with their annual rivalry game.
Another sad note is the imminent death of the WAC as a football conference. The Western Athletic Conference has a long history of good football. A few years ago, it was a super conference that encompassed just about all of the schools in the current Mountain West Conference, among others. Unfortunately, the super WAC proved to be unmanagable, and schools fled in all directions. Instead, now we have a super SEC, and that conference, I am sure, will prove to be quite managable, wealthy, and unimaginably powerful.
Here's to the players and coaches at Penn State. Let's hope that they can maintain some semblance of quality play amid the wreckage of their near "death penalty" experience.
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