Inside the Boxscores is a weekly article by Matt Fargo that has been widely recognized as the best summary of college football. Take an in-depth look at each game and extract the most relevant information that will help you in future handicap games. College football is full of wacky plays, tricky scores, and unexpected endings. Fargo takes you inside the action.
NEW MEXICO 26 Texas-El Paso 13
New Mexico only outscored the Miners by 48 total yards, but recovered a fumble on the third play of the game that set up a small touchdown drive and also had two big stops on the fourth down. The Wolves were 9-14 on third-down conversions and a perfect 4-4 inside the red zone. UTEP went three and out on its first four possessions and fell into a hole from which it could not recover. The Miners had 30 rushing yards on 23 carries (1.3 ypc).
Wake Forest 27 OLE MISS 3
Wake Forest won the yardage battle by just 46 total yards, but was shortstop most of the day. The Deacons’ average starting field position was their own 41-yard line compared to the Rebels’ 22-yard line. Ole Miss missed a field goal, gave up the ball on downs at the Wake Forest 18-yard line and threw an interception that set up a one-play, one-yard drive for the Deacons’ final touchdown.
MARYLAND 14 Florida International 10
Maryland held on despite being outscored 310-275. The Golden Panthers had to settle for a short field goal early in the fourth quarter and then were stopped at the Maryland nine-yard line on a first-and-goal after an interception as time expired. Florida International ran 17 fewer plays and lost the TOP battle by 12 minutes, but averaged 5.8 ypp compared to just 3.9 ypp for the Terrapins.
AKRON 33 North Texas 13
The Mean Green actually outscored Akron 287-278, but the Zips jumped out to a 26-0 lead early in the second quarter and held on the rest of the way. Akron scored touchdowns on his first five drives but managed just 78 total yards in the second half. North Texas had two turnovers inside Zips territory and also turned the ball over twice at Akron’s four and eight yards.
Mississippi State 16 UAB 10
Mississippi St. outscored the Blazers 281-210, but errors and lack of execution almost cost it the game. The Bulldogs had two fumbles inside the UAB 23-yard line and also turned the ball over on downs at the 25-yard line. The Blazers kicked the tying field goal with less than two minutes left and then got the ball first on overtime, but threw an interception that opened the door for the Bulldogs.
SOUTH CAROLINA 45 Florida Atlantic 6
Florida Atlantic scored a touchdown on their opening drive to close within a point, but the Gamecocks had the final 38 points for the blowout victory. South Carolina outscored the Owls 492-243 and the defense allowed them to cross midfield just twice after that opening score. Florida Atlantic was just 2-14 on third-down conversions and finished with just 105 receiving yards.
(21) NEBRASKA 56 Troy 0
Nebraska scored early and often, recording two touchdowns in each quarter while outscoring the Trojans 597-140. The Huskers rushed for 316 yards on 46 carries (6.9 ypc) and limited Troy to just 48 yards on 27 carries (1.8 ypc). Troy crossed the middle of the field only once and that resulted in an interception. Two more turnovers created a shortstop for Nebraska, which held the Trojans to 1-11 on third-down conversions.
(16) OKLAHOMA 59 Middle Tennessee 0
Another blowout saw Oklahoma outscoring the Blue Raiders 462-95 to build a 45-0 halftime lead. Middle Tennessee finished with only seven first downs and their biggest penetration was the Oklahoma 42-yard line on their final drive of the game. The Sooners crossed midfield on every possession thanks to their average starting field position from their own 49-yard line.
TEXAS A&M 45 Louisiana Tech 14
Louisiana Tech led 7-0 late in the first quarter after recovering a fumble that set up a 24-yard touchdown run. The Aggies, who had only seven total yards in the first quarter, rushed for the next 38 points and scored on six straight possessions. Texas A&M had 489 yards of offense and went a perfect 4-4 inside the red zone. The Bulldogs went 2-14 on third-down conversions.
WASHINGTON 29 UCLA 19
UCLA led 16-0, but the Huskies defense took over and held the Bruins to just 80 yards over the final three quarters. Washington took the lead midway through the fourth quarter and then intercepted a Bruins pass on the next play and returned it for a score to get away. The Bruins got the ball two more times, but could only manage two first downs. The Huskies had just 49 rushing yards on 27 carries (1.8 ypc).
KANSAS 13 Florida 7
Kansas outscored the Bulls 391-309, but fell behind heading into the fourth quarter before two game-stopping touchdowns. After a scoreless first half, the Jayhawks took the opening possession of the second half 60 yards to set up a field goal. South Florida responded with the go-ahead marker before Kansas pulled away. The Bulls had two turnovers inside the Kansas 30-yard line and gave it up on attempts at the two-yard line.
SYRACUSE 34 Miami-Ohio 14
Syracuse outscored the RedHawks by just 43 total yards, but the defense made big stops when needed. The Oranges stopped Miami twice on fourth down inside the 35-yard line and also blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt. The defense also returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown. Syracuse recorded eight sacks that netted the RedHawks rushing 31 yards on 29 carries (1.1 ypc).
Army 27 BAYLOR 20
Baylor lost its second straight close game, this one in overtime as it failed to match an Army touchdown. The Bears tied the game in the final minute of regulation with a 24-yard field goal. Army started the game getting to the Baylor 19-yard line on his first three possessions, but settled for three field goal attempts, making just one. The Bears gave up 11 penalties for 107 yards.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 41 Temple 7
Western Michigan limited Temple to just 149 total yards and forced four turnovers, two of which led to brief second-half touchdowns. The Broncos blocked a field goal as time expired in the first half and returned it for a touchdown. Temple’s only touchdown was set on a missed punt. 13 of the Owls’ 14 possessions were five plays or less and 11 of them were 11 yards or less.
(5) FLORIDA 26 Kentucky 7
The Wildcats held on for the half while trailing by just five points before the break. The score should have been much worse than the Gators, who outscored Kentucky 514-249, but committed two turnovers inside the Wildcats 30-yard line and also turned around opportunities at the 19-yard line. The Wildcats had just 54 total yards in the second half and finished with just 39 rushing yards on 22 carries (1.8 ypc).
(9) LSU 49 Tulane 7
The Tigers didn’t dominate as much as the scoreboard indicates, as they outscored Tulane 373-231, but used two turnovers to set up short touchdown drives. Green Wave managed to get into LSU territory on six of their last eight possessions, but two interceptions, a missed field goal and a turnover on attempts kept them scoreless until a touchdown on their last drive. LSU went a perfect 7-7 inside the red zone.
NC STATE 17 Boston University 15
The Wolfpack pulled out the unlikely victory on a 34-yard touchdown pass with just five seconds remaining. Boston College was down a point early in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown, but missed the two-point conversion, which was the ultimate difference. The Eagles outscored NC State by a yard, but missed two chances inside the Wolfpack 32-yard line with an interception and a turnover on attempts.
(22) BOISE STATE 41 Hawaii 34
The offenses dominated as they racked up a combined 991 yards, but it was Hawaii that missed numerous opportunities. The Warriors had three turnovers inside Boise St. territory while giving it up on opportunities at the Broncos’ four-yard line. Hawaii came within a touchdown with three minutes remaining, but couldn’t get the ball back. The Warriors ran 18 fewer snaps and outscored Boise St. by 1.6 ypp.
Utah 38 SAN DIEGO ST 7
San Diego St. tied the game at seven late in the first quarter, but then Utah scored the final 31 points of the game to pull away. After driving 74 yards for the tying score, the Aztecs crossed midfield just once in their next 10 possessions, gaining just 130 total yards in that span. The Utes turned the ball over twice inside the red zone but returned two of San Diego St.’s five interceptions for touchdowns.
SMU 55 Arkansas State 9
The Mustangs put up 457 yards of offense and limited the Indians to just 69 rushing yards on 41 carries (1.7 ypc). Arkansas St. closed within a point in the first quarter with a 69-yard touchdown pass, but mistakes took over after that. The Indians called for the ball four times, twice inside the red zone, and their five total turnovers led to 24 SMU points. The Mustangs were 5-5 inside the red zone.
(12) Notre Dame 40 MICHIGAN STATE 37
Notre Dame pulled off a miraculous comeback by scoring 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including a 27-yard interception return to score with 2:53 remaining. The Spartans had three turnovers throughout the game, but all three came on their last three possessions, two of which led to touchdowns. Michigan St. got to the Notre Dame 44-yard line before an interception ended the game.
(3) USC 20 ARIZONA 3
Arizona trailed by just one touchdown early in the fourth quarter despite being outscored 381-154. The Trojans increased the lead to 10 points and a Wildcats fumble late in the period set up a short touchdown that put the game out. USC went 12-18 on third-down conversions but missed three scoring opportunities inside the Arizona 30-yard line. The Wildcats had -16 rushing yards on 19 carries (-0.8 ypc).
HOUSTON 34 Oklahoma State 25
The Cougars racked up 509 yards of offense and controlled time of possession for more than 10 minutes. The Cowboys had two costly fumbles as Houston rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to take a 10-point lead. Oklahoma St. rushed 25 fewer plays, but still gained 446 yards on offense and averaged 9.1 ypp. The teams were forced to clear only twice each.
OREGON STATE 38 Idaho 0
Oregon St. limited the Vandals to just 185 total yards and seven first downs while forcing six turnovers. The Beavers returned an interception for a score and were shortstop the entire game. Oregon St. had 380 yards of offense and finished averaging just 5.2 ypp. Idaho finished with just 57 rushing yards on 24 carries (2.4 ypc) and was 0-10 on third-down conversions.