NCAA Predictions Week 8

By Max Baez
For Football Reporters Online


Arkansas @ Ole Miss

Ole Miss has to be feeling pressure at this point. They’ve gone from highly acclaimed, to a top 5 team, to unranked. Quite a whirlwind. Arkansas gained as much momentum as you can from a loss, barely losing on the road to Florida in a game where many felt Arkansas was slighted by the refs. The story for Ole Miss has been the struggles of Jevan Snead, and while the Arkansas defense is respectable, it isn’t dominant. I think Snead has a bit of a revitalization this week, and that Houston Nutt leads the Rebels to victory over his old team.

Ole Miss 31, Arkansas 21


Clemson @ Miami

For whatever reason, Miami is only a 5.5 point favorite in this game. I don’t really understand how, considering Miami has looked great all year (with one exception in Blacksburg) while has mired in their normal mediocrity. Sure, Clemson hasn’t lost a game by more than 4 points, but they are 3-3, and one of their losses is to Maryland: that’s inexcusable. Look for Jacoby Harris and the Miami offense to have a great day, and look for Clemson to lose by more than 4 points.

Miami 28, Clemson 13


Penn State @ Michigan

This is a really intriguing game. Penn State has a very strong defense, but the offense is definitely a bit lackluster. On Michigan’s side, the opposite is the case: offense looks really good (especially when you consider they are starting a true freshman quarterback), while the defense looks so-so. I think Rich Rodriguez is a jerk, but for whatever reason, I have more confidence in this Michigan team than most. It’s probably because I’m that impressed with Tate Forcier. Watching the Penn State defense play the Michigan offense will be extremely exciting, and its best that this game is in the Big House because Penn State is probably the better of these two teams. To me, this game could go either way, but I actually like Michigan to pull the big upset. I’m going with this because at crunch time, I think Michigan is more likely to make the big play, even if their quarterback is so young, and because the game isn’t at Beaver Stadium.

Michigan 20, Penn State 17


TCU @ BYU

This is probably the best mid major matchup of the season. BYU, and their dynamic offense, against the tough defense of TCU. Both have already beaten BCS conference schools, with BYU topping Oklahoma and TCU winning on the road against Clemson. This should be a great one, especially with such a dynamic BYU offense going up against the tough TCU defense. However, TCU seems a bit stronger against the run, and BYU is an especially strong passing team. I expect Max Hall to get it done in the end, and for the Cougars to get a huge home win.

BYU 24, TCU 20


Oregon State @ USC

The only reason why this game is in this article is because USC has lost two of three to Oregon State. I’ve got a ton of respect for Mike Riley and the Oregon State program, but I don’t think they are as good as they were last year. They do have a decent record, and some decent wins against Arizona State and Stanford, but they will be no match for USC this year. Besides, USC only gets caught off guard once in a season, and UDub took care of that. Big day for the USC offense, and while Oregon State will probably put some points up (especially on the ground), USC will put up more.

USC 45, Oregon State 24


Five other games to watch: South Florida @ Pitt, Boston College @ Notre Dame, Tennessee @ Alabama, Auburn @ LSU, Texas @ Missouri

SIX CAA FOOTBALL SQUADS AMONG NATION’S TOP-25
From: CAA Media Relations
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 
RICHMOND, Va. (October 22, 2009) -- Six CAA Football squads appeared in each of this week’s two national Top-25 polls, while Villanova’s Fred Maldonado earned national defensive recognition by the College Sporting News.  Maldonado’s honor was the sixth such award handed out to a CAA Football athlete this season, and the second to a Wildcat player.  Richmond remained at the top of both polls, while Villanova, William and Mary and New Hampshire helped extend the league’s string of four teams among the Top-10 to eight-straight weeks.  Below are some notes on CAA Football among both of the nation’s Top-25 polls.
 
Maldonado earned the College Sporting News Defensive All-Star honor after helping lead Villanova to a 27-0 shutout-win on the road over defending league champion James Madison.  Maldonado, who was named the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week Monday, was the leading tackler for the Villanova defense by racking up 11 total tackles, including six solo stops.  The West Chester, Pa., native also logged 1.5 tackles for a loss of seven yards and picked up one of James Madison’s two fumbles on the day.  The Wildcats’ defense recorded its first shutout since 2002, while the shutout at Bridgeforth Stadium was the first since Appalachian State blanked the Dukes at home in 1990.
 
Richmond’s No. 1 ranking, Villanova and William and Mary at No. 4 and 5, respectively, and New Hampshire’s spot in the Top-10 are among the nation’s longest active streaks for Top-10 rankings.  The Spiders have been part of the Sports Network’s Top-10 for 26-straight weeks which trails only Appalachian State’s 56 consecutive weeks and Northern Iowa’s mark of 37-straight weeks.  Villanova’s 17-straight weeks in the Top-10 is right behind Richmond, while New Hampshire’s string of 10 weeks and William and Mary’s mark of seven-straight ranks seventh and eighth-longest, respectively.
 
Richmond held the top-spot in this week’s Sports Network Top-25 after its second road-win in two weeks.  Villanova jumped two spots to No. 4 after a shutout win on the road over James Madison.  William and Mary also advanced two spots to No. 5 following its bye week.  New Hampshire fell to No. 9 after its loss at Massachusetts, while the Minutemen used the win to jump to No. 14.  Delaware, which won big at Towson, moved up to No. 19.  James Madison fell out of the Top-25 for the first time in 50 weeks, but still received votes as did both Hofstra and Maine.
 
The Sports Network Top-25 Notes...
-- CAA Football shows six ranked teams in this week’s poll.
 
-- Four of the eight editions of this year’s poll have included six league squads, including three-straight weeks from Sept. 21-Oct. 5.
 
-- The league’s six ranked teams are three more than any other league in the country has this week.
 
-- Richmond’s No. 1 ranking helps place the league atop the poll for the seventh-straight week in 2009.
 
-- CAA Football’s strength in this week’s poll continues to show by making up four of the Top-9 spots, two more than any other league has in the Top-10.
 
--  CAA Football also boasts three of the Top-5 in this week’s poll, while the remaining two teams are from the Big Sky (Montana) and Missouri Valley (Southern Illinois).
 
-- CAA Football has now had at least six teams ranked in 22 of the last 23 editions of the Sports Network poll.
 
-- The league has had at least three teams ranked every week since the poll’s inception and two teams among the poll’s Top-10 in 63-straight weeks and 89 of the last 93 editions.
 
Richmond again was the No. 1 team on this week’s FCS Coaches’ Poll, marking now seven-straight weeks at the top.  Villanova jumped up to No. 4 after its shutout of James Madison on the road.  William and Mary, which will welcome James Madison to Zable Stadium this weekend, jumped to No. 5 after having last weekend off.  New Hampshire dropped to No. 8 after suffering its first loss of the season, while Massachusetts moved up four spots to No. 16 with its win over New Hampshire.  Delaware, ranked at No. 23,  showed up in the Coaches’ poll for the first time this season.  James Madison fell out of the Coaches’ Top-25, but still received 31 points in the polling.
 
FCS Coaches’ Top-25 Notes...
-- CAA Football shows six in this week’s edition of the Top-25 for the fifth-straight week.
 
-- The league opened the 2009 campaign with eight among the Top-25, then had seven in the poll each of the first two regular season weeks (Sept. 7-14).
 
-- Richmond’s No. 1 ranking gives the league seven-straight weeks atop the 2009 rankings, after it owned No. 1 for 11-straight weeks in 2008.
 
-- The league holds four of the Top-8 spots in this week’s poll, marking eight-straight editions the league has had at least four in the Top-10.
 
-- Since the FCS Coaches Poll debuted in 2007 CAA Football has had at least four squads ranked in every edition (36 weeks).
 
Fans and members of the media can now follow CAA Football on Twitter:  twitter.com/The_CAAFootball.  Logon now and “follow” the league to get the latest news and notes from one of the top College Football Conferences in the country.  Fans and members of the media can also now see CAA Football’s new media efforts on YouTube: www.youtube.com/CAAFootball.  Logon now and subscribe to see the latest video productions from CAA Football.  Checkout The CAA Football Pressbox located as a button on CAASports.com as well as in the menus down the left-hand side of the football page, The CAA Football Pressbox is the official source for all CAA Football information.
 
Below is a comparison showing both National Polls released Oct. 19.
 
Sports Network Top 25           Ranking            FCS Coaches’ Top 25
Richmond (131)_____________ No. 1____________ Richmond (28)
Montana (5)________________ No. 2_________________ Montana
Southern Illinois (1)__________ No. 3___________ Southern Illinois
Villanova___________________ No. 4________________ Villanova
William and Mary___________ No. 5_________ William and Mary
Northern Iowa______________ No. 6____________ Northern Iowa
Elon_______________________ No. 7_____________________ Elon
Appalachian State___________ No. 8___________ New Hampshire
New Hampshire_____________ No. 9_________ Appalachian State
South Carolina State_________ No. 10______ South Carolina State
South Dakota State__________ No. 11___________ McNeese State
McNeese State_____________ No. 12_________ Jacksonville State
Jacksonville State___________ No. 13________ South Dakota State
Massachusetts_____________ No. 14_________ Central Arkansas
Stephen F. Austin___________ No. 15_____________ Weber State
Weber State_______________ No. 16___________ Massachusetts
Colgate____________________ No. 17__________________ Colgate
Central Arkansas____________ No. 18_________ Stephen F. Austin
Delaware__________________ No. 19_________________ Cal Poly
Cal Poly____________________ No. 20_________ Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky___________ No. 21_______ Eastern Washington
Holy Cross_________________ No. 22_______________ Holy Cross
Liberty____________________ No. 23________________ Delaware
Northern Arizona___________ No. 24____________ Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois______________ No. 25_________ Northern Arizona
 
The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its second weekly ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Football Poll presented by FieldTurf Tarkett of the 2009 season.  Defending national champion Richmond (6-0) grabs the top spot in the Championship Subdivision poll with Villanova (6-1) second and William and Mary (5-1) third.
 
The ECAC will release the weekly poll in each of the four divisions (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II and Division III) and the final poll in January will determine the trophy winners. The first place teams in the final poll will be presented with their Lambert Meadowlands Awards during the Eastern College Football Awards Banquet, held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.
 
Established in 1936 as the Lambert Trophy to recognize supremacy in Eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best team in the East in the Bowl Subdivision. In 1957, the Lambert Cup was created to recognize non-Division I-A teams, and in 1966 a Division III award was added. In 1983, the Lambert family decided the Meadowlands Sports Complex would be the best organization with a sincere and involved interest in college athletics to sponsor and manage the award, and since that time, the awards have been known as the Lambert Meadowlands Awards.
 
To be eligible for the Lambert Meadowlands Award, a school must be located in the East or play at least half of its schedule against eligible Lambert teams. The territory includes New York, New Jersey, New England and Pennsylvania, while teams in the bordering states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia qualify if at least half of their schedule features eligible teams. Teams in Eastern-based football conferences, regardless of location, qualify if at least half their schedule is against Lambert eligible teams.
 
Below is the ECAC Lambert Cup Football Championship Subdivision Poll released Oct. 19.
 
Rank            Team                              Record       Points
No. 1           Richmond                             6-0           220
No. 2           Villanova                              6-1           196
No. 3           William and Mary              5-1           164
No. 4           New Hampshire                  5-1           136
No. 5            Colgate                                 7-0           122
No. 6           Massachusetts                    4-2           114
No. 7           Delaware                             5-2              98
No. 8            Holy Cross                            5-1              72
No. 9            Lafayette                              5-1              46
No. 10         Penn                                     3-2              14
 
 

The Northwest Report Week 8

By Nick Haswell For Football Reporters Online

So much for this past weekend being a non-descript one in the Northwest college football landscape. With several of the teams having the week off and not many enticing matchups, Week 7 looked like a weekend to be forgotten. Instead, it will be a weekend to be remembered in the Northwest by fans, and one to be forgotten by several Northwest teams.
Here are some short recaps from each game this past weekend:

Game of the Week #1-Eastern Washington at Montana: It was hard to find one Game of the Week, as there were three great games this weekend. The first one matched up the Eastern Washington Eagles (4-2) against the top team in the Big Sky Conference, the Montana Grizzlies (5-0). Eastern needed the win to keep pace at the top of the Big Sky standings and for any hope of a postseason berth (depending on their appeal to the NCAA on this season’s postseason ban). Eastern took an early 10-2 lead, but Montana took a 20-13 lead into the half. The Griz scored another TD half way through the 3rd quarter to go up by 14, but the Eagles ended up tying the score before the end of the quarter. An 82 yard punt return for a TD by Marc Mariani put Montana back on top before EWU tied the score at 34 with fewer than 5 minutes left. Facing a 4th and Goal at the Eagles 1 with a little over a minute left, Montana’s Bobby Hauck went for the TD rather than kicking a go-ahead field goal. Chase Reynolds bowled over a defender at the goal line for the TD and the Grizzlies held on for the 41-34 win.

Game of the Week #2-South Dakota at Montana State: Just 166 miles to the east of Missoula, another great game was taking place in Bozeman between the South Dakota Coyotes (3-3) and the Montana State Bobcats (3-2). The game winded up going to overtime with the teams tied at 24. The Bobcats scored on a 36 yard TD pass from Cody Kempt, starting his first game of 2009, to Elvis Akpla on the 2nd play of overtime. South Dakota drove to the 3 yard line on their possession in OT, but a pass on 4th and Goal bounced off a wide open receiver’s hands in the end zone, allowing MSU to escape with a 31-24 win.
Game of the Week #3-Washington at Arizona State: The Washington Huskies (3-3) looked to be headed to OT versus the Arizona State Sun Devils (3-2) as the score was tied at 17 with under a minute left. But a curious 3rd and 1 pass play on their own 19 that went to complete and subsequent punt gave Arizona State the ball at midfield with less than 15 seconds left in the game. Sun Devil QB then stunned everyone watching by throwing to a wide open Chris McGaha down the middle of the field for the winning TD. A coverage break down by Husky FS Nate Williams left McGaha wide open on the final play.

Boise State at Tulsa: The Boise State Broncos snuck out of Tulsa with a 28-21 victory over the Golden Hurricane(4-2) to remain unbeaten at 6-0. Sophomore QB Kellen Moore led the balanced Bronco attack by tossing 3 TDs. RB Doug Martin added 112 yards rushing, including 83 in the 3rd quarter alone in his second game back from moving from the defensive side of the ball following the injury of starting RB D.J. Harper.

Hawaii at Idaho: DeMaundray Woolridge rushed for 4 TDs and added 81 yards rushing in Idaho’s victory over the Hawaii Warriors (2-4). The Vandals (6-1) are bowl eligible for the first time in a decade after gaining 420 yards of total offense in the win. QB Nathan Enderle bounced back from an off game last weekend by completing 14 of 17 passes for 226 yards and a TD.

Northern Arizona at Portland State: The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-2) blew out the Portland State Vikings 44-23 last Saturday. The Vikings (2-5) managed just 274 yards of total offense as starting QB Drew Hubel missed the game due to injury. Backup QB Connor Cavanaugh struggled in his place, completing just 11 of 23 passes and throwing 3 INTs. PSU also struggled on defense, allowing 458 yards of total offense.

Northern Colorado at Idaho State: Idaho State (0-7) missed perhaps their best opportunity for a victory in 2009 by losing to the Northern Colorado Bears (2-5) by the score of 30-7. UNC held ISU to negative 11 yards rushing and just 197 yards of total offense last Saturday. The Bengals now own the 4th worst offense in the FCS in total offense and have the worst rushing offense in the FCS at 26 yards per game. The previously dormant Bear offense came alive against the Bengal defense by gaining 435 yards of total offense.

This weekend’s games include all the Northwest teams in action this week. Let’s look ahead and preview each game and take a look at the keys to each game:

Game of the Week-Oregon State at USC: Oregon State (4-2) will have had two weeks preparation for this weekend’s game versus the USC Trojans. Is this another trap game for USC (5-1), after hanging on against Notre Dame and facing off against Oregon in Eugene next weekend? The Beavers will be looking to beat USC for the 2nd year in a row, and for the 3rd time in 4 years. The key to the game appears to be whether OSU will be able to slow down USC Freshman QB Matt Barkley enough to keep them in the game. OSU has had to break in 3 new starters in the secondary this season and the defense is currently 9th in the Pac 10 in pass defense.

Oregon at Washington: Will this weekend bring another down to the wire game for the Huskies? After 3 consecutive heart stopping finishes, UW (3-4) faces the top team in the Pac 10 standings, the Oregon Ducks (5-1). Oregon had an extra week to prepare for the Huskies after their win over UCLA 24-10 two weeks ago. The Ducks are still not certain that QB Jeremiah Masoli will be back to start against the Huskies. If he can’t start, Nate Costa will start his second consecutive game. UW’s defense has played better against the run the last few weeks, but they face the top rushing offense in the Pac 10 in the Oregon Ducks.
Washington State at California: California (4-2) got back on the winning track after a two game losing streak in defeating UCLA last weekend. Washington State (1-5) did not play last weekend. Wazzu ranks last in the Pac 10 in nearly every offensive and defensive category. Their best chance to keep it a close game is to throw the ball well against the susceptible Cal secondary.

Boise State at Hawaii: The Broncos (6-0) look to stay unbeaten on their visit off the mainland against the Warriors (2-4). Hawaii’s best bet to pull off the upset is to win the turnover battle and keep the nation’s most efficient passer, Kellen Moore, off the field.

Idaho at Nevada: Idaho (6-1) is on a 5 game winning streak and Nevada (3-3) has won their last 3 after losing their first 3 in 2009. Whoever wins the battle between Nevada’s rushing offense (#1 in the WAC) and Idaho’s rushing defense (#1 in the WAC) probably will win the game.

Montana State at Eastern Washington: A key game in the Big Sky Conference is this weekend between the Montana State Bobcats (4-2) and the Eastern Washington Eagles (4-3). A loss by either team would hurt their playoff chances, whereas a win would keep their hopes alive. EWU suffered a big loss last weekend when their top WR Aaron Boyce went out with a season ending injury. MSU’s defense boasts the best rushing defense in the Big Sky, but also is the worst against the pass, allowing more than 300 yards through the air per game. The Eagles top the Big Sky in rushing offense in the Big Sky at about 150 yards per game, but they also have an effective passing attack led by QB Matt Nichols.

Montana at Sacramento State: The #2 Montana Grizzlies (6-0) travel down to Sacramento to take on the 2-4 Hornets. The Griz have the top scoring offense in the Big Sky at 36.8 points per game, as well as the top scoring defense at 19.7 points per game. The Grizzlies appear to be a mismatch for the Hornets, as Sacramento State’s defense is 8th (out of 9) in total defense in the Big Sky in allowing almost 436 yards of offense per game.

UC-Davis at Portland State: The 2-5 Portland State Vikings face off against the 3-3 UC-Davis Mustangs in a non-conference matchup. Portland State faces a tough UC-Davis team who nearly defeated Montana earlier in the season and played Boise State tough into the 4th quarter. Portland State has to take advantage of a weak UC-Davis running game that averages only 55 yards per game to pull out a victory.

                                          OVC Week 7 Wrap Up
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
Murray St. 9 TSU 6
TSU entered LP Field in first place in the OVC on Saturday. They came in with a plan to run the ball and control the clock. Things didn’t work out as planned when starting quarterback Calvin McNairl hurt his back and backup Jeremy Perry could not move the offense. McNairl later returned but was not effective. Some may have been wondering how the injury figured into the loss, but head coach James Webster felt different. He said he would not use it as an excuse because he still expected the rest of his team to do their part. He thought his team could run better even though they got 169 yards on the ground. The passing game was not much better with McNairl going 6-13 for 62 yards and a pick. He did add a late touchdown pass to Joseph Hills to make it 9-6. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Murray St. to seal the win.  This was the second straight year that Murray upset the Tigers. Perry could do nothing right and finished 2-6 for six yards and an interception. Murray St. cornerback Nathan Brinkley had a good game with the interception of McNairl and the recovery of the onside kick at the end of the game. Next up for TSU (3-4, 2-1) is an idle week where they will heal up. As for the Racers (2-4, 1-2), they go to UT Martin (2-5, 1-3) to try and win back-to-back games and get even in the conference.
 
Eastern Illinois 23 Tennessee Tech 15
 
It was Tony Romo day for the host crowd as his jersey was retired. Still the Panthers had to hold off a late rally by Tech and stop them at the Panther 14 with 12 seconds left. It was 20-0 late in the third when Tech got started with a safety. They came out on the next possession and scored when quarterback Lee Sweeney hit Alden Olverson from 29 to make it 20-9. Sweeney then threw his second touchdown pass of the quarter to Colin Allen and all of a sudden it was 20-15 going into the fourth. After a field goal by E. Illinois made it 233-15 Tech had one more chance. Mauricio Wallace returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to set up the possible tie but the Panther defense held on and the game was over. Tech hurt themselves with six fumbles, three that they lost, as well as two interceptions by Sweeney. Eastern held the ball for 43:10 and had 23 first downs to Tech’s 14. Next up for Tech (3-3, 2-2) is one of those games they are supposed to win when the host SEMO (1-5, 0-4). Eastern (5-2, 3-1) goes to Jacksonville St. (4-2, 2-0) next week. J State is ineligible for the league title this year.
 
Eastern Kentucky 31 UT Martin 25
This was the last of three pretty decent games on the slate this weekend. It was homecoming in Richmond and the Colonels did not disappoint their fans as they intercepted four passes in a win that keeps them in first place in the OVC. Even though they had the picks it was just a 21-13 after a Cade Thompson scoring run. It got to 24-19 and then Eastern had to punt to Martin. They had their chance and then muffed the punt away to give the Colonels a first down at the four. C.J. Walker’s two-yard run made it 31-19 and a touchdown as time expired accounted for the final points of the game for Martin. Eastern QB T.J. Pryor finished 19-33 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. His counterpart Thompson was 30-44 for 334 yards, three touchdowns and the four picks. Next up for Eastern (4-2, 4-1) is a trip to Austin Peay (2-4, 1-2) and for UTM (2-5, 1-3) it’s a home game against Murray State (2-4, 1-2).

Week

WEEK 7 ACC WRAP UP

By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region
assisted by contributing writer William Queen for Football Reporters Online

 
Below is the Week 7 ACC Wrap. Surprisingly, there were only 5 games involving ACC teams.

 
GEORGIA TECH – 28 VIRGINIA TECH – 24
It was upset city in Atlanta this weekend, as Georgia Tech rallied to a surprising victory over the heavily favored Hokies. Yellow Jackets quarterback Josh Nesbitt was practically the whole story of this game, running for 122 yards and 3 scores, and ultimately winning a key match-up. For Virginia Tech, I hate to say it, but I saw it coming. Though they stomped Boston College last week, they nearly lost vs. Duke the week before, and never really gained any respect in the college football world in my opinion. As of Georgia Tech’s future, I think they’ve really learned from their loss against Miami earlier this season. Right after that loss, they bounced back with dominant wins over UNC, Mississippi State and Florida State. All these games led up to an impressive win over a highly ranked team. As for Tech they continue to play inconsistently. Trips to Georgia this year ruined any hopes of an ACC title and a possible national championship. They have slipped from fourth to about 15th depending on which poll you look at. The ACC picture begins to take shape with the regular season winding down.
 
CLEMSON – 38 WAKE FOREST – 3
No, it’s not a typo. Clemson quite simply slaughtered Wake Forest. A very balanced offensive attack, countered by a rock-solid defense, and an incendiary special teams won it. Where has this Clemson been all season? C.J. Spiller had touchdown runs of 66 and 14 yards. Freshman quarterback Kyle Parker shined going 10-17 for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 3-yard rushing score in the second quarter. I haven’t seen one defense all year shut down Riley Skinner this well. After throwing for more than 300 yards in his last 3 games straight, the Tigers held him to just 82 yards and picked off 2 passes. This game may be one that comes back and bites Wake Forest in the back later. These two teams are tied for second in the Atlantic division of the ACC and because of Clemson’s convincing win, they would easily win the tiebreaker.  Once again no one knew what Clemson team would show up but this one wasn’t bad.
 
BOSTON COLLEGE – 52 NC STATE – 20
They exploded. No one saw it coming; well at least not the State defense. It was 14-13 in favor of BC when they just went off scoring 31 unanswered points. This was practically the story of the game. In a 19 minute 11 second span, the Wolf pack turned the ball over three times, couldn’t seem to get any momentum going, and played some of the worst defense all year. And Montel Harris, where has he been? He had 27 carries for 254 yards and 5 touchdowns for the sophomore running back. He matched his rushing touchdowns this season in just one game! For the Eagles, they couldn’t be any happier with the way this season’s going. 5-2, #1 spot in the Atlantic division of the ACC, things are going well for Boston College. However, this loss pulls the Wolf pack down to a 3-game losing streak; the exact opposite of what head coach Tom O’ Brian was hoping for.
 
VIRGINIA – 20 MARYLAND – 9
Virginia is beginning to set a tempo for their football program. Earlier this season, they were losing to schools like William & Mary. Forcing 4 turnovers in their win over Maryland, the Cavaliers have turned their season around, now riding a 3 game winning streak.
 
MIAMI – 27 UCF – 7
The Hurricanes kept their impressive high ranking a reality, winning a predictable game over UCF. Throwing for 293 yards and one score, quarterback Jacory Harris’s performance helped Miami win perhaps their easiest non-conference game. They are number 10 in the first BCS poll and still have a shot at the division title.

                                        SEC Wrap Up Week 7
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region
 
(1)    Florida 23 Arkansas 20
It was supposed to be easy when you looked at this game at the beginning of the season, but the Hogs had other plans. They were the first team to score first on the Gators this year. They sacked AT&Tebow six times and forced four Florida turnovers. For the first time in awhile a team made the Gators look normal. As a matter of fact they led 10-3 at the half on the strength of their defense and some good early running by Broderick Green. He had a 19-yard touchdown run called back for holding but later atoned for it by punching it in from the one to make it 7-0. The score was made possible when Tebow was sacked and fumbled the ball back to the Hogs. In the second half the Gators took the lead when Tebow hit Deonte Thompson on a 77-yard strike to make it 13-10. It was the longest scoring pass of his career. This came after Arkansas kicker Alex Tejada missed his first of two field goals that would prove to be the difference. So after three hard fought quarters the game turned in to an offensive one. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet came out in the fourth and started the scoring tossing a 75-yarder to Greg Childs. The score did was not official until a review of the play showed that Childs recovered a loose ball in the end zone. It put the Hogs back up 20-13 and it looked like Florida may go down on this day. On the next possession they went right down the field with the help of some penalties and tied it at 20. Arkansas got another shot to take the lead when Mallett moved them far enough to set up a Tejada 38-yard attempt. The kick sailed wide left and the Gators took over at the 31. The winning drive was typical Tebow as he drove his team down the field. He hit Riley Cooper a couple of times and ran the ball five times to set up the game winning 27-yard filed goal from Caleb Sturgis. The game told a story for both teams. For Florida it showed that they could have an off day. That you can prepare for them and possibly beat them in this derby for the national championship. It showed that maybe the Gators depend too much on Tebow as he accounted for 324 of his teams 391 yards of offense. They will have to take a closer look at who else can help in the stretch run. To win the BCS title you will need more than one player on your team to do it all. Arkansas will not find comfort in losing the game but found out a few things. Mallett looks everything like they guy they envisioned to lead their team back in the SEC. He has poise and the arm and is only getting better. The young defense showed what it could do against top-tier teams, as they held their own. So if you thought that maybe the SEC might slip up some time soon you were wrong. This conference is stronger than ever and with the new recruits waiting in the wing it will just get stronger.
 
Kentucky 21 Auburn 14
It had been forever since the Wildcats beat the Tigers. It was way back in 1966 to be precise and they did it in comeback fashion. Auburn had come in with this offense that was producing so well, it was assumed that Kentucky would have problems with it. What they did was make it look like another ordinary offense as quarterback Chris Todd had trouble connecting with his receivers all game long. It all started out fine for the Tigers when they blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt and ran it back 69 yards for a 7-0 lead. Kentucky countered with a four-yard run by quarterback Morgan Newton to tie it. Newton had a miserable day, in place of the injured Mark Hartline, going 5-13 for 39 yards but was able to count on his running game to carry the team to victory. Auburn took the lead back on a Ben Tate one-yard run to close the first half. Tate had a great day running for 132 yards on 31 carries. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Yet the Tigers would not score in a second half that belonged to Kentucky. The third quarter was scoreless setting up an exciting fourth. Will Fidler got some time at quarterback for Kentucky and had a 4-yard score late in the fourth to tie the score at 14 with just over six minutes left. He was also 4-9 for 36 yards and will compete for the starting job this week. So the stage was set when the Tigers got the ball again and Randall Cobb (19-126) had a sweet run for 61 yards and then two plays later scored to winning touchdown. Auburn started this season with so much hope only to lose key games that will hurt them at years end. Kentucky got a big win but must deal with the reality that they need to choose a QB and hope to make the right choice.
 
Alabama 20 South Carolina 6
It was the eve of the BCS polls and the Tide wanted to make a statement to the rest of the football world. It could be a number one team if the pollsters just gave them a chance. Well it worked and it didn’t work you could say. By Sunday night they would be No. 2 in the BCS and No. 1 in the AP. It was not one of their best outings of the year because they were up against the best defense they had faced all year long. Quarterback Greg McElroy was not on so he handed the ball off the Mark Ingram 24 times and all Ingram did was rush for a career best 246 yards and a touchdown with 4:54 left in the game for the win. McElroy finished 10-20 for a mere 92 yards and two picks. The Tide had three chances in the red-zone but could only score once. They had as many turnovers in this game as they had all year with four. They got help from a strong defensive showing as the Tide had five sacks and nine tackles for loss. They have not given up a touchdown in two games now. South Carolina had a few chances to put the ball in the end zone but came up short. McElroy’s receivers missed several passes in the end zone that could have turned the game the other way. So now the Tide host Tennessee next week and look to get a hold onto the top ranking in the BCS if possible.
 
Ole Miss 48 UAB 13
It wasn’t even this close as Jevon Snead threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns. They also added 163 rushing yards to finish with just over 500 yards of offense as Ole Miss takes advantage of a lesser opponent to get back into the win column.
 
Georgia 34 Vanderbilt 10
The Bulldogs ended a two game skid while extending Vanderbilt’s losing streak to three. The story of the game was field position as Vandy found itself with horrible position while giving the Dawgz good field position all day. Head coach Bobby Johnson expressed his disappointment with special teams play and the offensive line’s inability to give QB Larry Smith time to throw. The Dawgz needed this one after the whipping they took last week against Tennessee.