College Football Odds and Sods: Starkville is the Epicenter, Dan Mullen is the Alpha Dog
By Ty Duffy
The Magnolia teams are for real, everyone. No letdowns. Mississippi State hosted GameDay and fed from the energy, dumping Auburn 38-23 at home in a partial sloppy monsoon. Following a third emphatic win over a Top 10 divisional opponent, the Bulldogs have vaulted to No. 1 in both polls. Dak Prescott, after slogging it out for 121 yards on the ground, may be the Heisman front runner. College football’s epicenter is in Starkville, but for how long?
Mississippi State still faces a road trip to Alabama before the Egg Bowl this season, not to mention pesky Arkansas and Kentucky teams. Even if everything comes up Bulldog in 2014, there’s still the question of keeping Mullen. He was a notable assistant at Florida. He and his wife are northerners and Ann Arbor isn’t a bad place to live. A season after being on the hot seat, he’s about to become a quite wealthy man.
Ole Miss thumped Texas A&M in College Station, taking a 35-7 lead before the Aggies turned it on in the 4th quarter with the game over. This was another top-notch performance from the Rebel defense, 5th in the nation in yards/play allowed. They kept Texas A&M from scoring on nine of their first 10 full drives, forced three turnovers and returned two of them for touchdowns. Their offense is nothing spectacular. But, if Bo Wallace continues not turning the ball over, Ole Miss will not need it to be.
The Rebels seem to be the more erratic of the two Mississippi teams. But, they have an easier schedule left. Auburn at home is the one ranked matchup between Hugh Freeze’s team and the Armageddon Egg Bowl. It’s worth noting the Aggies are now 5-5 in front of the 12th man at Kyle Field in the SEC under Sumlin, without a notable win.
Outside the important state, Baylor enhanced its playoff credentials. The Bears’ 24-point unanswered barrage in the fourth quarter overcame a 21-point deficit to beat TCU 61-58. That game tallied 1,267 yards of combined total offense on 198 plays. Each team scored at least 10 points in every quarter. It was the sort of game that would have Nick Saban asking you if this is really what you want football to become.
We saw ability from Baylor, but also vulnerability. The offense is explosive, but not as efficient as in recent years. They have three ranked matchups left: at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. There’s also a road trip to West Virginia. It feels like there’s some black ice for them there, somewhere.
Pac 12 Rochambeau
The Pac 12 has become a crap shoot week to week. Here are the latest developments…
Media darling Arizona lost 28-26 to USC at home, so the Pac 12 will not have an undefeated champion. The Trojans controlled both lines of scrimmage, holding Arizona to 2.7 yards/carry and getting 205 yards and three touchdowns on the ground from Javorious Allen. They managed not to Jump the Sark during a fourth-quarter Wildcat rally. Transitive wisdom would suggest Boston College would annihilate Arizona.
Oregon is back above water. The Ducks routed UCLA 42-30 on the road, with the scoreline mollified by three garbage time UCLA touchdowns. Oregon had a stretch of six touchdowns in seven drives. The seventh was a 74-yarder that ended on a failed fourth down conversion. UCLA appears to be an underwhelming, not outstandingly coached team blessed with a talented quarterback. Marcus Mariota will do this to people.
Washington is 5-1 and in the mix. The Huskies stifled the Bear Raid in an impressive 31-7 road win. It’s still unclear why Cal was a favorite here and why a majority of the public felt that proposition was worth backing with personal funds.
Stanford moved to 2-1 in conference with a 34-17 win against Washington State. Their defense played well. Their offense, with some help from the Cougar defense, did things. Still a plausible playoff contender should they finish 10-2.
The Good
Flawless Victory… Georgia lost Todd Gurley. It didn’t matter much the way their defense played. The Bulldogs held Missouri to double-digit passing and rushing yards and zero points, forced five turnovers and did not allow a third down conversion. The Tigers managed one drive that lasted longer than four plays. The performance was flawless. Well, except for having a lineman get slammed to the turf by Maty Mauk.
Living Legend… Leonard Fournette received the bulk of the carries for the first time and ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries against the SEC’s fourth best run defense. His emergence would limit LSU’s concerns to…everywhere else on the field. It seems he will live down this moment.
The Minutemen… UMass snapped a 12-game losing streak, overwhelming a winless Kent State 40-17 on the road. That result has been coming for the Minutemen, who are 0-4 in one-score games. Two, Vanderbilt and Colorado, were against major conference opponents, technically.
The Not So Good
Spartan Fourth Quarters… Michigan State has played three power five teams: Oregon, Nebraska and Purdue. Those opponents have outscored the Spartans 47-7 in the fourth quarter. The Boilermakers began the 4th down 21 points last Saturday. They had the ball with a chance to tie, before throwing a pick six. Resilience and focus? Play-calling? Depth? Purdue can be put away. Ohio State could look more like Oregon.
Lane Kiffin Effect… You let Lane Kiffin and his voluminous wardrobe into your building and the inexplicable crumbling begins. Alabama’s offense was wretched against Arkansas. The Tide gained just 227 total yards, only 66 on 32 rushing attempts. They converted just four of 16 third and fourth down attempts. Viewers received a healthy dose of “Lane Kiffin” face. It’s almost as though A.J. McCarron answered questions honestly and knew what he was talking about.
Cincinnati Defense… Tommy Tuberville’s team was firebombed by Ohio State and Memphis. The trend continued, in front of an empty stadium, against a mediocre Miami team. The Hurricanes averaged more than 10 yards/play. Miami’s running backs combined for 360 yards on just 29 carries. Things were so out of hand Jake Heaps was permitted to play. He amassed one sack for a 13-yard loss.
The Unfortunate
This should have been Texas’ first big win under Charlie Strong. Instead, it was a mere respectable cover. The Longhorns’ defense held the Sooners to 4.6 yards/play and stopped 10/11 third down attempts. Tyrone Swoopes produced 384 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Texas still lost 31-26, thanks to a kickoff return touchdown and the one turnover being a pick six. Brutal, and in line with how much of this season has played out.
In a Losing Effort…
Notre Dame outlasted North Carolina 50-43 in the sandwich game of all sandwich games (our 2014 trap game list is now 5-0 ATS). Tar Heel QB Marquise Williams gave it his best effort, throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns and adding 132 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
We’ll also pour one out for Arkansas. The Razorbacks are still looking for their first SEC win under Bret Bielema. Though four of the last five losses have come by four points or less. Losses the past two weeks, against Top 10 ranked Texas A&M and Alabama teams, have come by trailing by one point combined at the end of regulation. The Razorbacks could be among the nation’s 25 best teams and not reach a bowl game.
Video of the Week
A Clemson fan ended up on Louisville’s bench, in the defensive huddle.
GIF of the Week
It’s hard to top Nick Saban getting angry.
[USA Today Sports, Getty]