This weekend's best match-up featured the Oklahoma Sooners against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the country's number two and three teams respectively. The Cornhuskers prevailed 20-10 in this battle of two powerhouse.
The low scoring, defensive clash was marked by two key plays. Oklahoma tried and failed to complete a reverse, option pass. Then later in the game Nebraska surprised Oklahoma with the Sooners' own play. The reverse pass worked for the Cornhuskers and Eric Couch sprinted in for the 63-yard score.
This victory gives Nebraska a legitimate claim to be number one in the AP and Coaches polls, but more importantly the victory should place them first in the all-important Bowl Championship Series ranking, which comes out today at 2 p.m.
In a surprise from Big East football, the unranked Syracuse Orangemen stunned the number four ranked Virginia Tech Hokies 22-14. 'Cuse scored the first 17 points of the game and held the Hokies scoreless in the first half. The Orangemen scored first on a punt block in the first quarter. Then they converted a Tech turnover into another score.
Virgina was not able to put points on the board until four minutes left in the third quarter. Then, trailing by six points late in the fourth, the Hokies got the ball on their own four yard line. With a chance to drive down for the winning score, 'Cuse forced a safety that they needed to close the game.
Syracuse played solid football, converting on every chance that Tech left on the table. With the loss the Hokies are most likely out of the National Championship race and have also lost their edge for a Big East Conference title.
On the other side, the win tied Syracuse with the University of Miami for first place in the Big East. Those two teams will meet on Nov. 17 in a match that will likely determine the conference title.
Moving to the Southeastern Conference, the sixth ranked Florida Gators got their season back on track with a victory over 16th Georgia Bulldogs. Despite some turnovers, including two interceptions by quarterback Rex Grossman, the Gators won 24-10.
The Gators overcame these errors with their highly potent offense, with Grossman passed for 407 yards. Despite scoring first and staying within a touchdown for most of the game, the Bulldogs were not able to convert on Florida turnovers to blow the game open.
As a result, the Bulldogs slipped to 5-2 (4-2 SEC) and dropped seven spots in the Coaches poll. The Gators surprisingly improved to third in these rankings and kept their chances at playing for the SEC title alive.
Penn State Nittany Lions improved their record to 2-4 by beating Big Ten rival Ohio State Buckeyes 29-27. The exciting game moved Penn State coach Joe Paterno ahead of Bear Bryant for all-time Division I-A victories with 324. Paterno tied the record last week with his team's first victory of the year.
This week, faced against a tough challenge, the Nittany Lions won the close game. Though the Buckeyes had the lead for three quarters, Penn State freshman quarterback Zack Mills scored on the second play of the fourth quarter to give Penn State their first and only lead. His 14-yard touchdown pass gave Penn State a two point edge that would hold until the game ended.
Mills came in the game on the Lions' second possession to relieve the ineffective Matt Seneca and proved that last week's game-winning drive was not a fluke. With his performance he passed Seneca as the starting quarterback.
Neither team has any chance of winning a title this year, but both teams will still be fun to watch as they play for pride. They will take the roll of spoiler as they face top teams and conference rivals.
Heisman Watch
The Heisman Trophy hopefuls have come to the forefront of college football as November is right around the corner. The top four contenders include three quarterbacks and one running back. Ken Dorsey, QB from the University of Miami, has lead his team to a 6-0 record with some impressive numbers, but his knock is that the Hurricanes schedule is not as tough as other teams'. . . . Eric Crouch, QB for Nebraska, is the only senior among this group. He fits the typical mold of Nebraska quarterback, which means he does what is necessary to win, be it running or passing. . . . Rex Grossman, the Florida QB, leads the country with 2,636 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, but his team has one loss which hurts in Heisman voting. The last of this group is a RB from UCLA. DeShaun Foster does not have the best rushing numbers in the country, but he is not far from the top. He brings a lot of intangibles to the table that make him a favorable candidate.
