Inside the Boxscores is a weekly feature by Matt Fargo that has been widely recognized as the best summary of college football over the past four years. Take an in-depth look at each game and extract the most relevant information that will help you in future handicap games. College football is full of wacky plays, misleading scores, and unexpected endings. Fargo takes you inside the action.
UAB 37 MEMPHIS 20
UAB tallied 551 total yards as the defense shutout the Tigers in the second half. Memphis took a 14-point lead, but the offense stalled in the second half with two turnovers inside Blazers territory. All seven of the Tigers’ drives were of 55 yards or more. UAB finished with 217 rushing yards on 37 carries (5.9 ypc).
(18) WEST VIRGINIA 45 Connecticut 13
West Virginia finished with just 372 total yards, but the defense was the story, holding the Huskies to 129 total yards and just nine first downs. Connecticut had just 12 rushing yards on 38 cavities (0.3 ypc) and didn’t have a drive of more than 22 yards until the final possession of the game. Four of West Virginia’s first five touchdowns came on drives of 39 yards or less.
(24) LOUISVILLE 42 Pittsburgh 20
Louisville outscored the Panthers 467-260 as the defense threw a second-half shutout. The Cardinals scored on the first play of the game, recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the Panthers responded by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Pittsburgh took a one-point lead late in the second quarter, but the Cardinals scored the last 23 points to win.
Toledo 30 OHIO U 21
The Rockets racked up 529 yards of offense, but the game was still in doubt late in the fourth quarter. Toledo was up by six points and put together a six-minute drive that resulted in a field goal. The Bobcats then threw an interception at their own 7-yard line on the ensuing drive and Toledo was able to kill most of the remaining time. Toledo rushed for 293 yards.
NO CAROLINA 16 (19) Boston University 14
Boston College out-yarded the Tar Heels 337-310 and the defense did not allow an offensive touchdown. North Carolina returned the kickoff for a touchdown, then settled for three field goals the rest of the game. Boston College scored on their first and last possession and managed just 189 yards at the half.
PURDUE 28 State of Michigan 21
Michigan St. had a seven-point lead at halftime, but the Spartans were unable to score in the second half. The Boilermakers scored on their first two possessions of the second half and stopped Michigan St. twice inside their own territory with an interception and fourth down. Purdue went 11-17 on third down and finished with 221 rushing yards and 226 passing yards.
NORTHWEST 28 Iowa 27
Northwestern pulled off an incredible comeback, scoring two touchdowns in the final two minutes. The Wildcats got within six points and then recovered the onside kick to set up the final scoring drive. Iowa got the ball into Northwest territory, but turned it over on tries to end the game. The Hawkeyes also missed a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Florida 45 RUTGERS 31
Rutgers outscored the Bulls 398-377 but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t recover from six turnovers. South Florida scored twice on defense in the first quarter and also scored two more touchdowns on short drives. Rutgers got within six points early in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls ended the game with a late score.
Minnesota 42 INDIANA 21
Minnesota had 572 yards of offense, including 347 rushing yards on 49 carries (7.1 ypc). Indiana took a seven-point lead until halftime, but the Gophers scored 27 unanswered points in the third quarter by scoring on their first five possessions of the second half. Minnesota had four series that were deadlocked inside Indiana territory.
(2) Texas 62 BAYLOR 0
Texas got off to a second straight slow start on offense, but the defense came together strong with the shutout, allowing just 201 total yards, including just 89 passing yards. The Longhorns had 645 yards of offense including 347 rushing on 54 carries (6.4 ypc). Texas scored on eight straight possessions at one point and had six drives of 68-yards or more.
Carolina 14 ARKANSAS 10
South Carolina won its fourth straight game despite generating just 187 total yards of offense. Both touchdowns came on very short drives and the defense was able to stop the Razorbacks four times inside the 38-yard line, including once inside the red zone. Arkansas finished with 356 total yards but was 0-for-4 on fourth-down conversions.
KANSAS 40 Nebraska 15
Nebraska’s defense was shelled for the third straight game, allowing 428 yards as the Jayhawks shut down the offense. The Huskers gained just 138 total yards and only had seven first downs. Despite that, they trailed by only two points late in the third quarter, but Kansas scored the last 23 points, including an interception return for a touchdown.
Northern Ill 31 CENTRAL MICH 28
Central Michigan outscored the Huskies 588-441 and held Northern Illinois to six rushing yards on 22 carries (0.3 ypc). The Chippewas’ sole turnover led to an easy score by the Huskies in the first quarter. Central Michigan missed two field goals, including a 39-yard attempt with a minute remaining that would have tied the game.
Western Michigan 44 EASTERN MICH 36
Eastern Michigan rallied from a 20-point deficit in the second half, but a missed two-point conversion on their final score prevented them from taking the lead. The Broncos then drove down the field on the next possession to end the game. The Eagles finished with two more total yards, but two turnovers led to 10 Western Michigan points.
(17) Auburn 49 KENTUCKY 27
Auburn racked up 589 yards of offense, but the defense allowed the Wildcats 450 yards and held on to a lead of just 15 points late in the fourth quarter. The Tiger then drove 80 yards to put the game out of reach. Kentucky was inside Auburn territory on its last five drives but managed just 17 points. The Wildcats scored 10 points on turnovers.
CLEMSON 49 Duke 20
Clemson used a solid running game to take the pressure off a new starting quarterback as the Tigers gained 234 yards on 41 carries (5.7 ypc). The Blue Devils moved the ball well, gaining 407 total yards but finished with 11 penalties for 105 yards. Clemson scored a touchdown on five of its first six drives and has never looked back.
GEORGIA TECHNOLOGY 30 Wake Forest 17
Georgia Tech opened up a 24–3 lead early in the second half and the defense pulled off two fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter. Wake Forest had just 92 total yards in the first half and finished the game with just 100 rushing yards. The Yellow Jackets could only manage two field goals down the stretch, but it turned out to be more than enough.
MARINE 49 Tulane 21
Navy jumped out to a 28-0 lead after the first quarter, scoring three touchdowns off of Tulane’s turnovers. The game was even the rest of the way, but the Green Wave was long gone after the first 15 minutes. Navy finished with 418 rushing yards on 71 carries (5.9 ypc) and the defense held Tulane to 43 total yards on its first seven possessions.
STATE OF IOWA 45 State of Kansas 17
Iowa St. outscored the Wildcats 415-233 and used three Kansas St. turnovers to score 17 points. The Cyclones easily won the rushing battle, gaining 221 yards on 53 carries (4.2 ypc) while holding Kansas St. to 12 yards on 29 carries (0.4 ypc). Iowa St. committed 13 penalties for 115 yards causing eight 10-yard drives o less.
MIAMI-OHIO 54 Buffalo 13
Miami had 447 yards of total offense, but it was the defense that stole the show, forcing eight turnovers from Buffalo. The RedHawks converted it to 30 points, as their first six scoring drives were of 35 yards or less. The Bulls had just 222 total yards and most of that came in garbage time as they were held to -4 total yards on their first 13 possessions.
Bowling green 24 KENT STATE 14
Bowling Green survived without its starting quarterback as the Falcons outscored Kent by just 35 total yards and finished with just 113 passing yards. The defense held the Golden Flashes to 25 rushing yards on 23 carries (1.1 ypc). The difference was the loss of two Kents which led to 14 Falcons points on two drives totaling just 48 combined yards.
BALL STATE 23 Akron 17
Ball St. won despite being outscored by 118 total yards. The Cardinals jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter with the help of a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown. Akron pulled within six points midway through the fourth quarter and was driving for the go-ahead touchdown, but Ball St. intercepted a pass at the five-yard line and was able to run out time.
(8) NOTRE DAME 41 Tennessee 21
Notre Dame outscored the Volunteers by just 47 total yards, but used a punt return and interception return to score. Tennessee tied the game at 21 late in the third quarter, but the Irish scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. Notre Dame scored 17 points on turnovers and three scoring drives were of 27 yards or less.
SMU 27 Rice 7
SMU held the Owls’ powerful rushing attack to just 166 yards on 50 carries (3.3 ypc) and forced three turnovers. Rice didn’t score until midway through the fourth quarter as his first 10 possessions resulted in seven punts, two turnovers and one turnover on attempts. SMU scored on four of their first five possessions and finished 4-4 in the red zone.
BYU 55 UNLV 14
BYU opened a 7-7 game by scoring 34 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to pull away. The Cougars outscored the Rebels 503-331 and held UNLV to two rushing yards on 20 carries (0.1 ypc) while the offense generated 224 rushing yards on 46 carries (4.9 ypc). BYU was a perfect 9-9 in the red zone.
UTAH 43 Wyoming 13
Wyoming led 6-3 late in the first quarter, but Utah scored their next 30 points on five straight possessions. The Utes finished with 563 total yards and controlled the clock by more than 10 minutes longer than the Cowboys. Utah has been inside Wyoming territory on 10 of its 12 possessions, including inside the 5-yard line on seven of its last eight drives.
The second part will be released on Tuesday.