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Website design By BotEap.comInside the Boxscores is a weekly feature that has been widely recognized as the best summary of college football. This article takes an in-depth look at each game and extracts the most relevant information that will help you play handicap in the future. College football is full of wacky plays, misleading scores, and surprising finishes. It takes you inside the action.
Website design By BotEap.comCOLORADO 30 Texas Tech 6
Website design By BotEap.comColorado earned its first win of the season by beating the Red Raiders 380-276 and forced five turnovers. The Buffaloes were in Texas Tech territory on all but three possessions, while the Red Raiders didn’t cross midfield until late in the third quarter. Scoring could have been worse, but Colorado fumbled at Texas Tech’s 18-yard line and also had two fumbles within the 30-yard line.
Website design By BotEap.comTEXAS A&M 25 (19) Missouri 19
Website design By BotEap.comThe Tigers lost for the first time this season as numerous mistakes were made. Missouri fumbled at the goal line on her first attack and surrendered it on three of her first five possessions. After Texas A&M took the lead late in the third quarter, the Tigers took the ball four more times, but couldn’t get it out, as they delivered it at the Aggies’ six-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
Website design By BotEap.com(7) LOUISVILLE 23 Cincinnati 17
Website design By BotEap.comLouisville survived a major scare from the Bearcats who used ball control to keep the Cardinals’ potent offense off the field. Cincinnati controlled more than 13 more minutes of the clock and was able to make 18 more plays, but came up short in the end. The Bearcats moved the ball to the Louisville 16-yard line, but a penalty and two incomplete passes ended the game. Cincinnati also missed two field goals.
Website design By BotEap.comALABAMA 26 Ole Miss 23
Website design By BotEap.comAlabama edged the Rebels 434-287, but needed a touchdown in overtime to win. The Tide was in Mississippi territory in all but two units, but they had to settle for two field goals and also did two laps at the Rebels’ 26-yard line, including once late in the fourth quarter. Mississippi was just 2-11 in conversions on the third down while Alabama was 9-16 on the third down.
Website design By BotEap.comTROY 24 UL-Monroe 19
Website design By BotEap.comThis game was marred by turnovers, but it was the Warhawks who were hurt the most. They turned the ball over in four of their last five possessions, three of which occurred in Trojan territory. UL-Monroe had two chances late in the game, but threw an interception at the Trojans’ six-yard line and then delivered it on the fourth down at the 27-yard line in the final two minutes. Troy circled it four times inside Warhawks territory.
Website design By BotEap.comSTATE OF KENT 40 Toledo 14
Website design By BotEap.comKent St. finished with just 348 total yards, but held Toledo to 234 yards and forced four turnovers while stopping the Rockets three times on fourth down. Toledo was within Golden Flashes territory for four of his first five possessions, but came out with nothing. Kent St. rushed for 270 yards on 47 carries (5.7 ypc) while holding the Rockets to 102 yards on 38 carries (2.7 ypc). Kent St. failed nine times but lost only one of them.
Website design By BotEap.comBOWLING GREEN 24 Eastern Michigan 21
Website design By BotEap.comBowling Green scored the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter and the defense forced two punts and grabbed an interception for the win. The Eagles outscored the Falcons 330-324, but three interceptions and a missed field goal led to Bowling Green’s 14 points. The Falcons lost time in the battle for possession, but gained field position as their average starting place was at their 41st yard.
Website design By BotEap.comHawaii 68 STATE OF ASH 37
Website design By BotEap.comFresno St. scored on its third play of the game to take a 7-0 lead after forcing a punt from the Warriors, but after that it was all Hawaii. The Warriors racked up 570 yards of offense and, even though the defense allowed 470 yards, they scored 21 points on turnovers. Hawaii had 7-9 in conversions on third down attempts and was a perfect 7-7 inside the red zone, scoring touchdowns on every possession.
Website design By BotEap.comArizona 20 STANFORD 7
Website design By BotEap.comArizona was spectacular on defense, holding Stanford to just 52 total yards and four first downs. The Cardinal scored their only touchdown on a 72-yard interception return, while the offense never went beyond its own 39-yard line. The Wildcats scored on three of their first four possessions and let the defense do the rest. Stanford had the ball for just over 21 minutes and finished with -6 yards rushing.
Website design By BotEap.com(10) California 21 WASHINGTON ST 3
Website design By BotEap.comCalifornia outscored the Cougars by just three total yards, but the defense held on when necessary. Washington St. delivered the ball on downs four times within the Bears’ 35-yard line, including three times in their last three possessions. The Cougars also threw two interceptions within California territory. Washington St. finished 1-3 in the red zone and went 0-11 in conversions on the third down.
Website design By BotEap.comSAN JOSE ST 21 Utah State 14
Website design By BotEap.comUtah St. jumped ahead 14-0 but the Spartans rallied when the defense shut out the Aggies the rest of the way. San Jose St. flipped the ball four times, twice inside the Utah St. red zone and again at the 35-yard line. The Aggies were driving for the tie score, but turned it over at the Spartans’ 26-yard line. to end the game. The Aggies controlled about 14 more minutes of the clock.
Website design By BotEap.comOregon State 27 WASHINGTON 17
Website design By BotEap.comOregon St. edged out the Huskies 488-256, but had to bounce back after losing seven points at halftime. The Beavers scored the only 17 points of the second half as their three scoring units racked up 236 total yards. Washington rushed for just 84 yards on 37 carries (2.3 ypc) and that number was cut by six sacks by Oregon St. Both of Washington’s touchdowns came from interceptions.
Website design By BotEap.comMIAMI-FLORIDA 35 Florida International 0
Website design By BotEap.comIn a game marred by a great fight, the Hurricanes shut out the Golden Panthers and held them to just 114 total yards and 12 first downs. The game was scoreless until late in the second quarter when Miami finally got on the board. The Hurricanes missed a field goal and delivered it on drops at the Florida International six-yard line before that. The Hurricanes had only 279 total yards, but their average starting position was midfield.
Website design By BotEap.comIdaho 24 LOUISIANA TECH 14
Website design By BotEap.comIdaho edged the Bulldogs 382-211, but still had to bounce back by scoring the final 17 points of the game. Louisiana Tech committed eight turnovers, but was still behind by just one touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Vandals scored 17 points from those turnovers and the defense held the Bulldogs to just 42 total yards in the second half. Idaho was hit by three turnovers and 12 penalties totaling 100 yards.
Website design By BotEap.comSOUTH OF MISSISSIPPI 31 Houston 27
Website design By BotEap.comSouthern Mississippi was never behind in this game despite being outscored 377-325. The Golden Eagles hit first on a Houston fumble, their only loss of the game, and scored on a one-yard play. The Cougars were hurt by that along with a missed field goal and two turnovers in bad times. Houston finished with just 38 yards rushing on 27 carries (1.4 ypc).
Website design By BotEap.com(6) TEXAS 63 Baylor 31
Website design By BotEap.comTexas saw Baylor lead 10-0 during the first quarter, but the Longhorns scored 28 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Bears were still behind by just 18 points going into the fourth quarter, but Texas scored three touchdowns to ignite the loss. The Longhorns defense scored twice, once on a fumble return and once on an interception return, and overall scored 35 points on Baylor’s five turnovers.
Website design By BotEap.comOhio U 20 ILLINOIS 17
Website design By BotEap.comOhio kicked the winning field goal with five seconds remaining despite being outscored by Illini 397-238. Illinois delivered the ball five times, including a fumble at his own 15-yard line that set up the Bobcats’ field goal. Four of Illini’s turnovers were on his own turf, but Ohio couldn’t gain an advantage with the exception of the last one. Illinois rushed for 211 yards on 36 carries (5.9 ypc).
Website design By BotEap.com(21) Nebraska 21 STATE OF KANSAS 3
Website design By BotEap.comNebraska scored a touchdown on their first possession with a false field goal and the defense kept the Wildcats in check throughout the game. Kansas St. finished with just 294 yards, including 22 rushing yards on 18 carries (1.2 ypc). The Wildcats punted six of their first seven possessions and had late chances, but they threw an interception at the Nebraska 34-yard line and delivered it on downs at the three-yard line.
Website design By BotEap.comRICE 34 UAB 33
Website design By BotEap.comRice scored the game-winning touchdown with just three seconds left. UAB should have won the game after an interception two plays earlier, but fumbled back to the Owls. The Blazers outscored the Owls 484-421 and rallied to take a five-point lead late in the fourth quarter before Rice won it. The UAB missed a small field goal before the break, which made the difference.
Website design By BotEap.com(11) AUBURN 27 (2) Florida 17
Website design By BotEap.comFlorida led by nine points and took a six-point lead at halftime, but Auburn knocked out the Gators in the second half for the win. The Tigers scored on a blocked punt return and also on a fumble return for the only two second-half touchdowns. The Gators scored on their first three possessions, but had only 90 total yards in the second half and crossed the midfield only once, resulting in a fumble at the Auburn 16-yard line.
Website design By BotEap.com(3) USC 28 State of Arizona 21
Website design By BotEap.comUSC led 21-0, but the Sun Devils rallied to tie the game before the Trojans scored the winning goal late in the fourth quarter. Arizona St. tied the game on an interception return for a touchdown. The Sun Devils limited USC to just 307 yards, but their own offense was able to muster just 245 yards, as they committed 12 penalties for 97 yards. Arizona St. punted after USC’s final score and never got the ball back.
Website design By BotEap.com(14) LSU 49 Kentucky 0
Website design By BotEap.comThe Tigers racked up 546 yards of offense while the defense threw a shutout. Kentucky was never in the game, trailing 28-0 after four possessions on each side. The Wildcats had two late chances to avoid the shutout, but they threw an interception at the LSU nine-yard line and delivered it on downs at the seven-yard line. LSU rushed for 268 yards while holding the Wildcats 61 yards on the ground.
Website design By BotEap.com(4) Michigan 17 PENN STATE 10
Website design By BotEap.comMichigan held Penn St. to just 186 total yards and 11 first downs. The Wolverines had seven sacks while holding the Nittany Lions to -14 yards rushing on 25 carries (-0.6 ypc). Michigan had two long touchdown drives, but it didn’t do much more than that, gaining just 176 yards on its other nine possessions. Penn St. missed an opportunity to hit first, missing a field goal on his opening possession.
Website design By BotEap.comTEXAS-EL PASO 34 Tulane 20
Website design By BotEap.comTulane actually outscored the Miners 481-365, but the Green Wave lost the battle on turnovers 5-0 as they turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions. Two of the turnovers occurred inside the UTEP red zone and Tulane also delivered it at the Miners’ 16-yard line. UTEP jumped forward for three touchdowns just before halftime after returning an 88-yard punt to score.
Website design By BotEap.comNew Mexico 39 UNLV 36
Website design By BotEap.comUNLV outscored the Lobos 379-280, but four turnovers led to New Mexico’s 16 points. The Rebels held a 14-point lead at halftime, but the Wolves scored the first 22 points of the second half. UNLV tied the game with just over a minute to go and after New Mexico kicked a field goal to take the lead in overtime, the Rebels were sacked and fumbled on their first play to end the game. .
