College Football Odds and Sods: Tragic Ending For Ole Miss, Could Will Muschamp Survive and Advance to 2015?
By Ty Duffy
Next week may be college football’s crazy elimination week, with six games featuring teams in the Top 20. But, last Saturday (and Sunday morning in the Eastern Time Zone) gave it a good run.
Auburn beat Ole Miss 35-31 at the Grove, an engaging game that ended in tragedy and Twitter police action. Star Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell scored what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter. Treadwell broke his leg on the play. A replay overturned the touchdown because he had fumbled, Ole Miss’ second consecutive one inside the Auburn 10. That is how, in all likelihood, the Rebels will have been eliminated from the college football playoff, by seven points.
The Tigers are now 9-0 in one-score regular season games under Gus Malzahn. That trend takes a substantial dollop of luck, luck that can turn unkindly (see: Michigan State 2012). But, luck, as Seneca put it, can also be “what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Auburn has played bruising schedules. Whether it is an alert reception on a tipped ball, spotting the opportunity to return a field goal or forcing multiple fumbles on the goal line, Tiger players are making plays to win games. With a road trip to Georgia and the Iron Bowl left, Auburn may need a couple more of them.
Florida State traveled to Louisville on a Thursday Night, survived and covered, despite trailing 21-0 in the 2nd quarter. Bobby Petrino’s Cardinals should have put the Seminoles away. Converting 1/13 third and fourth down conversions is a textbook way to not do that. We’ve seen this FSU team look fantastic and terrible, often in the same game. They can be beaten. They also look capable of beating anyone. Their probable playoff appearance should be entertaining.
Oregon has Marcus Mariota. Marcus Mariota, healthy, is one hell of a trump card. The Heisman candidate completed 19/30 for 258 yards, ran for 85 yards and scored four total touchdowns as the Ducks offed Stanford 45-16. Solving Stanford may just have been out Stanfording them. Oregon established its ground game and thwarted the Cardinal’s conventional one. Win at Utah, at Oregon State and the Pac 12 title game and the Ducks are in.
TCU made a field goal and walked off the field in Morgantown with a 31-30 victory. Couches remained intact. This game was uglier and more defensive than most would have anticipated, but it counts. The Horned Frogs, if they beat Kansas State at home next weekend, look dead set to finish 11-1. Should TCU win the Big 12, with a 4-1 record against teams that were in the Top 20 when played, keeping the Horned Frogs out would be difficult.
Mississippi State came back against Arkansas. Notre Dame outlasted Navy. One wonders what Michigan State or Ohio State could do next week to convince anyone they should be in this thing.
The Good
Coach Boom… Florida’s oft-maligned offense produced 445 total yards and 38 points in a resounding rivalry win over highly ranked Georgia. Rushing produced 418 of those yards. The Gators completed three passes. But, still, it’s encouraging. If Florida can beat Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Eastern Kentucky, they would be 7-3 heading into the Florida State game (would have been 8-3 had Idaho game been played). Could Muschamp escape the guilliotine? Should he?
Coach Sweat… Miami crushed North Carolina 47-20, for the Hurricanes’ third-straight emphatic win. Their defense sacked Marquise Williams six times and held UNC to just 3.7 yards/play. Al Golden’s team is now 6-3 and peaking at just the right moment to host Florida State. Miami “fans” may come out of the woodwork and show up for this one.
UConn Beat an FBS Team… The Huskies intercepted Justin Holman four times and upset UCF 37-29 at Rentschler Field for their first FBS win of the Bob Diaco era. That should be a bit more gratifying than averaging 3.5 yards/play and beating Stony Brook on a punt return touchdown.
The Not So Good
The Hoosiers… Indiana beat Missouri. Fortune and form have plummeted since. The Hoosiers lost by 24 at Michigan, their fourth-straight power five loss by at least three touchdowns. Scraping the barrel bottom at quarterback after injuries,, the Hoosier offense managed just 24 passing yards. Their defense allowed 6.3 yards/play to Michigan’s offense (only App. State and Miami (Ohio) had done that this season). What could have been a breakout bowl year with Nate Sudfeld for Kevin Wilson could leave him with a 5-27 B1G record heading into year five, if there is a year five.
The Gamecocks Defense… South Carolina blew a two-touchdown lead with minutes left in the 4th quarter and fell 45-42 to Tennessee in overtime. That is the Gamecocks fourth-straight SEC loss by a touchdown or less. If SC had anything resembling a defense, they would be a contender in the SEC East. They do not. The Gamecocks now rank 122nd nationally in yards/play defense. They have held one FBS team, Missouri, under 6.7 yards/play this season. This is a unit that ranked 11th in 2012. Not hard to see why the HBC didn’t want to talk about it.
Tim Beckman… Things were looking up for Illinois last week after upsetting Minnesota 28-24. Days later, they looked right back down. The Illini lost 55-14 to Ohio State. That scoreline was flattering to them as Ohio State applied the handbrake for almost the entire second half. 2-19 in the B1G. That is about to be that.
The Unfortunate
Bret Bielema… Arkansas may have the best coach in SEC history, to never win a conference game. The Razorbacks took a 10-0 lead over No. 1 Mississippi State, before succumbing 17-10 and falling to 4-5. That was Arkansas’ fifth loss to a team ranked in the Top 10 at the time, third by one score. The Razorbacks have shown clear progress. The failure is becoming, so becoming Bielema has removed himself from the hot seat and, with a reasonable $2.5 million buyout, could be a candidate for the Michigan job. The SEC West, man.
Mike Leach… The Cougars were blown out 44-17 by USC, falling to 1-7 vs. FBS teams in 2014 and being eliminated from bowl contention. In the process, they lost senior QB Connor Halliday for his career with a broken fibula. This team was capable of more, but only showed it in spurts. A 6-18 Pac 12 record is an improvement from the Paul Wulff era, but not much of one. Seat a bit warm entering 2015?
Screengrab of the Week
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