Friday, November 28, 2014
No. 12 Arizona beats No. 13 Arizona State 42-35
Hogan leads Stanford's 31-10 upset of No. 9 UCLA
Arizona holds off ASU to claim Pac-12 South
Hogan, Stanford play spoilers, bounce UCLA
Mizzou rallies past Hogs for SEC East crown
Ryan On Badgers' Win Over Oklahoma
Kaminsky guides Wisconsin to Atlantis title
Missouri takes SEC East for second-straight year with Arkansas win
Missouri is going back to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
The Tigers gave Arkansas a dose of its own medicine in the fourth quarter Friday in a comeback 21-14 win that sealed Missouri's second-straight SEC title game appearance.
After tying the game at 14-14 early in the fourth, Missouri got the ball back with 10:42 left in the game at its own 15-yard-line. The Tigers marched down the field with just one pass play – and it was incomplete. Thanks to a five-yard penalty, Missouri had 11 carries for 90 yards, the last of which was a 12-yard run by Marcus Murphy for the winning touchdown.
Missouri finished the game with 158 rushing yards.
Arkansas' chance to tie was given second life on a 4th-and-8 after the Razorbacks committed a false start penalty. Missouri DE Shane Ray apparently didn't hit the whistle and hit QB Brandon Allen, who was struggling with a back injury he suffered last week against Ole Miss. Ray was flagged for roughness and the penalty gave Arkansas a first down.
Six plays later, Alex Collins ran for two yards and Arkansas called timeout. However, Collins fumbled as he was tackled and Missouri's Markus Golden recovered the ball. The play was originally not called a fumble and Arkansas' timeout gave officials plenty of time to decide a review was necessary. Following a review after the timeout, Missouri was awarded the ball and simply had to run out the clock.
After losing many key contributors from an 11-2 Cotton Bowl-winning team last year, Missouri was picked to finish in the bottom half of the SEC East. And, much like Ohio State, who lost to Virginia Tech at home, Missouri suffered a brutal non-conference home loss early in the season. In week four, Missouri lost 31-27 to Indiana.
However, since getting flattened by Georgia 34-0 at home, Missouri, 10-2 and 7-1 in the SEC, has won six straight games thanks to a resilient defense which again was fantastic in the second half on Friday. After Arkansas went up 14-3 in the second quarter, Missouri didn't let the Razorbacks get past the Tiger 34 until the final drive of the game.
Had Missouri lost Friday, Georgia would have gone to Atlanta thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker. But with Georgia's loss to Florida, control of the East flipped back to Missouri and the Tigers never relinquished it. After losing to Auburn last year, Mizzou now has a chance for redemption against either Mississippi State or Alabama.
For more Arkansas news, visit HawgSports.com
For more Missouri news, visit PowerMizzou.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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Watch to Watch, Week 14: The final Saturday of the regular season is here
The college football regular season is almost over and there’s still so much to be decided.
Welcome to rivalry week.
There are several pivotal games his weekend which will determine division champions and possibly spots in the College Football Playoff.
While a handful of games were played on Friday that had conference race implications, there are several big games Saturday, especially in the SEC, which could have a profound effect on the playoff rankings.
Here’s what to watch in Week 14:
Game of the week:
No. 15 Auburn at No. 1 Alabama, 7:45 p.m. ET
It would be ridiculous to think the drama of last year’s Iron Bowl could repeat itself, but this game — just like last year — has national championship implications. If Alabama wins, the Tide will probably notch the top spot in the College Football Playoff. If it loses, it could fall out of the playoff rankings altogether. Auburn has been out of the race for a few weeks, but would like nothing more than to play spoilers to their rivals for the second consecutive year. Look for this game to have some scoring, especially with Auburn's porous defense.
Game to watch:
No. 4 Mississippi State at No. 19 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. ET
The shine of this game wore off pretty quickly after Ole Miss failed to show up against Arkansas last week, but it’s still an important game in terms of the playoff picture. Mississippi State is weak against the pass, but without Laquon Treadwell, the Rebels don’t have much of a vertical threat. Mississippi State, which has leaned on its running game a lot of the year, will encounter one of the toughest defensive fronts it’s seen all season. This game could be closer than expected, but it’s going to be tough for the Rebels to pull off the upset.
Also check out…
Utah State at Boise State, 10:15 p.m. ET
Boise State is not only is seeking a berth in the Mountain West championship game, but also an opportunity to be the Group of Five representative in a New Year’s Six Bowl. All it needs to complete half of those goals is to beat Utah State, but that might not be so easy. Utah State has the toughest defense the Broncos have faced, allowing 18.3 points and 116.5 rushing yards per game. The Aggies also have a chance to play for the title, but they need Colorado State to lose to Air Force.
Don't waste your time with:
Michigan at No. 6 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. ET
The only reason to watch this game is if you’re a big fan of this series, or if you want to watch what could be Brady Hoke’s final game as Michigan’s coach. Michigan does have a decent defense, but after the way Ohio State struggled against Indiana last week, J.T. Barrett and Co., will probably be eager to get their high-powered offense back on track.
Keep an eye on:
J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State
Barrett wasn’t named a Davey O’Brien finalist, which was a bit of a surprise given how well he’s played this season and all the records he’s broken, however, his quest for an invite to the Heisman ceremony is still up for grabs and he could solidify that spot with a strong game against Michigan. And who knows? This might be the last regular season Big Ten game Barrett plays in until 2016.
Upset alert:
Florida (-7.5) at No. 3 Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ET
The prospect of Florida sending coach Will Muschamp out on a high note is almost too much to ignore. Florida State is the better team here, no doubt about that, but it’s also struggled at times against weaker competition and Florida’s defense could give Seminoles’ quarterback Jameis Winston fits. Even if the defense manages to keep Winston quiet, the Florida offense would have to play about as well as it’s played all year to send Muschamp out as a winner.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Watch to Watch, Week 14: The final Saturday of the regular season is here
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Nebraska rallies to beat Iowa 37-34 in overtime
It seemed like Nebraska flipped a switch late in the third quarter.
The Huskers struggled on offense for much of the day but scored 31 of the game’s final 41 points to register a come-from-behind, overtime 37-34 victory over Iowa in Iowa City.
Everything was going wrong for Bo Pelini’s team for the first 32 minutes of play. Tommy Armstrong was intercepted twice (one returned for a touchdown), punter Sam Foltz kicked the ball off his own teammate and returned for a touchdown by Iowa, and Drew Brown had a 27-yard field goal blocked.
So when the Huskers regained possession down 24-7 with 3:19 to go in the third quarter, they needed a score in the worst way. Quickly the flip was switched and the Huskers scored on a five-play, 64-yard drive that culminated in a 34-yard Armstrong touchdown pass to Taariq Allen.
An excellent De’Mornay Pierson-El punt return set up Nebraska’s next score a few minutes later – a 32-yard connection between Armstrong and Kenny Bell.
Pierson-El struck again a few minutes later, but this time he would not be brought down. The true freshman took back a Dillon Kidd punt 80 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskers a 28-24 lead with 12:06 to go.
Iowa did not go away easily, however. After the teams traded punts, the Hawkeyes executed a 12-play, 53-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a five-yard touchdown pass from Jake Rudock to Jordan Canzeri on third-and-goal with 1:49 to play.
The Huskers again answered, but could not reach the end zone this time. Instead, Brown knocked down a 20-yard field goal to force overtime.
The Nebraska defense held Iowa a field goal on the first possession of the extra frame. The Huskers then sealed the win on Armstrong’s fourth touchdown pass of the game – a nine-yard strike to Bell in the front right corner of the end zone.
Facing his fifth-straight four-loss season, Huskers coach Bo Pelini was firmly on the hot seat heading into the game. It didn’t look for Pelini for much of the afternoon, but his team responded to improve to 9-3 with a bowl game on the horizon.
Nebraska has never been a bad program under Pelini, but it has been a stagnant program that has yet to advance to a Big Ten Championship game. In a place where excellence has been the standard for decades, four-loss seasons lead to questions about the coach’s job security.
Meanwhile, for Iowa, the Hawkeyes finished the season at 7-5 with the loss. Iowa beat just one team with a winning record this season: FCS Northern Iowa.
For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.
For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Nebraska rallies to beat Iowa 37-34 in overtime
Marshall loses undefeated season with 67-66 loss to WKU
There will be no more debate about Marshall's place in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Thundering Herd's bid for an undefeated season disappeared Friday at home after Western Kentucky went for a two-point conversion and the win in overtime and successfully converted it for a 67-66 victory.
Marshall scored on its second play of overtime with a 25-yard pass from Rakeem Cato to Hyleck Foster. Then, on WKU's second play of overtime, Brandon Doughty threw his eighth touchdown pass of the game to Jared Dangerfield. Yes, we said eighth.
Instead of going for the game-tying PAT to head to a second overtime, WKU, at 6-5 entering the game, went for the win. And it was a successful try. WKU lined up on the left hash and Doughty rolled to his right and hit Willie McNeal on the right side of the end zone for the win.
Thanks to three early interceptions by Cato, Western Kentucky stormed out to an early lead. All three interceptions turned into WKU touchdowns and after the first quarter the Hilltoppers led 28-21. At halftime, the lead was 49-42, three points short of the record for combined points in a half.
The scoring slowed down in the second half, which meant the entire game escaped the FBS record for most combined points. The record for most combined points in an overtime game is 136, which was set when Boise State beat Nevada 69-67 in 2007. However, that game went four overtimes.
Cato finished with seven touchdowns and four interceptions while Doughty had two interceptions. His second came with 10 seconds left and the game tied at 59-59. After a run play following the pick, Marshall had the option to kick a 57-yard field goal for the win but eschewed it in favor of a pass towards the end zone. It fell incomplete.
During Tuesday's College Football Playoff Rankings, the Herd was a spot below two-loss Boise State in the battle to be the highest-ranked non-Power Five conference team in the top 25. Even though Marshall was one of only two undefeated teams in the FBS along with Florida State, the Thundering Herd's porous strength of schedule was keeping it near the bottom of the rankings.
While you can argue that it's not Marshall's fault that it was playing a weak Conference USA schedule, it was apparent watching the Herd over the last few weeks that the gripe to be closer to the top of the rankings wasn't entirely ironclad.
Now Marshall will be nowhere near the top 25 in the next set of rankings and the Broncos and Mountain West Conference rival Colorado State are the frontrunners for the New Year's Bowl berth while the Herd will play in a bowl like the Liberty Bowl or Bahamas Bowl.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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Nebraska punter kicks ball off teammate, Iowa returns it for TD (GIFs)
Down 17-7 to Iowa midway through the third quarter, Nebraska conducted a clinic on how not to execute a punt.
First, punter Sam Foltz dropped a perfect snap. He was able to collect the ball off the turf, but as he got off a punt, he kicked the ball directly off the backside of one of his blockers – No. 72 Zach Hannon, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman.
As Foltz took a big hit, the ball deflected high in the air and flew 15 yards backwards. It took a nice hop for the Hawkeyes and 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive lineman Drew Ott scooped up the loose ball for an Iowa touchdown.
Since he kicked the ball off a teammate and it wasn’t technically blocked by Iowa, Foltz’s gaffe went down in the box score as a negative 31-yard punt and a 12-yard return for Ott.
On a day where Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini’s job appears to be in serious jeopardy, a miscue like this will not help his team's chances of pulling out a road win.
For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.
For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Nebraska punter kicks ball off teammate, Iowa returns it for TD (GIFs)