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.