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Saturday Breakdown: Dog day afternoon ... and night
Sept. 18, 1999
By Anthony Gimino
SportsLine College Football Editor
Sorry, we didn't see these things coming …
A 27-point underdog -- one that was coming off a loss to to a Division I-AA opponent -- slugs it out with one of the nation's most physical teams and finds victory when Ron Dayne coughs up the football (and some Heisman votes?) as he's about to go in for a potential game winning touchdown.
That's what happened as Cincinnati stunned No. 9 Wisconsin 17-12. …
A 25-point underdog goes on the road to play a ranked team … and is so dominant that it could have given the points and still won.
That's what happened when New Mexico State buried No. 22 Arizona State 35-7. …
A two-touchdown underdog, playing without its injured star quarterback for the last few plays of the game and needing to convert a fourth-and-26 in the final seconds, has its backup quarterback throw for a game-winning 28-yard touchdown.
That's what happened when Louisiana Tech's Brian Stallworth hit Sean Cangelosi to beat No. 18 Alabama 29-28. …
A two-touchdown underdog, one that had been roundly embarrassed in giving up 69 points to Texas to open the season, goes on the road to play the Pac-10 favorite, and puts up half-a-hundred points in victory.
That's what happened when Stanford delivered a desert butt-kicking to No. 19 Arizona, 50-22. …
These dogs certainly had their day, one of the wildest college football days in recent memory.
Did we mention that Penn State beat Miami on a 79-yard touchdown pass in the final two minutes?
And how about Notre Dame losing its third consecutive game, creating an eerie parallel to Bob Davie's first year as head coach. In that season, the Irish won its first game, then lost a trio of games to Big Ten teams -- Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State. The same three teams -- in different order -- beat Notre Dame this season, too.
And, oh yeah, they played a little ol' game in The Swamp between bitter rivals … and that, too, was still up for grabs in the final two minutes. When it was all sorted out, when the Florida defense had knocked back Tennessee one final time, the Gators had beaten Tennessee 23-21 to take control of the SEC East and move on in the national championship race.
Yes, the national title picture became clearer Saturday -- Wisconsin and Miami, out; Tennessee teetering on the edge -- and that will be the enduring effect of this weekend's game. But it was the other teams, those usually on the outside looking in, that provided the day's unexpected magic.
Game of the Day
| Sunk in The Swamp |
| It wasn't the prettiest game of the day, not was it the best played, the cleanest, the quickest, the most dramatic … but Florida-Tennessee did deliver its promise as a titanic big-game thriller with mammoth individual performances. Everyone who watched knows who Alex Brown is now, don't they? |
Sizzlin' … the countdown
| 3. Oklahoma offense |
| Bob Stoops, that noted defensive coordinator at Florida is pretty smart when it comes to offense, too. Smart enough to have hired Mike Leach upon becoming the head coach at Oklahoma. Mike Leach? Oh, he's the guy who was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky and helped Tim Couch become the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
Leach is now tutoring Josh Heupel, who arrived in Norman via a South Dakota high school, Weber State and Snow Junior College in Utah. That's not the usual fast track, but Heupel had his second consecutive school-record-setting performance Saturday, setting school marks for completions (37), attempts (54) and passing yards (420). |
| 2. The big, big, big Big West Conference |
| Of the 11 Division I-A conferences, the Big West would rank, oh, 11th … or maybe 12th if the independents were any good. That said, we proudly present the best day in conference history:
Idaho, behind a quarterback who last week was third on the depth chart, beat the Pac-10's Washington State 28-17 in a Vandals-designated home game at WSU's Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash.
Later, North Texas, which hadn't scored an offensive touchdown in 10 quarters, scored two TDs in the third quarter against Texas Tech en route to a 21-14 victory over the Big 12 foe.
Two nice victories, to be sure, but then came this late-night shocker: New Mexico State 35, Arizona State 7. The Aggies out-gained the 22nd-ranked Sun Devils 565 to 234. |
| 1. Oh those lovable underdogs |
| With victories Saturday, the following teams are 3-0, already matching their victory total from 1998:
New Mexico State, Iowa State, Auburn, Maryland, Illinois.
New Mexico State's victory over Arizona State is an unqualified head-scratcher, but Auburn and Maryland contributed to the bafflement on Saturday. Auburn, which hasn't had a good thing happen to it on or off the field in about a year, raked LSU 41-7; Maryland intercepted Marc Bulger four times and shut out West Virginia 33-0. |
Fizzlin' … the countdown
| 3. Jamie Barnette, QB, North Carolina State |
| His four-interception performance against Florida State continued his curious slide this season. In three games against Division I-A teams, he is 22 of 58 for 212 yards and five interceptions. |
| 2. Nebraska's I-Backs |
| First, starting tailback DeAngelo Evans quit the team early in the week, and then his replacement, Dan Alexander, fumbles twice and gains only 54 yards in a squeaker vs. Southern Mississippi. Without a star at I-back -- and the Cornhuskers don't have one -- Nebraska will struggle to out-score the Big 12's best. |
| 1. Pac-it-in 10 |
| What in the name of John McKay is going on here? Two losses to the Big West on Saturday? Struggles against San Diego State and Fresno State? Washington golden boy Rick Neuheisel 0-2 against the Mountain West Conference? League fave Arizona is reeling, and nobody in the conference looks worthy of the Top 25. |
Color of the day
| What's the opposite of Orange? |
| Let's see: Miami loses in the Orange Bowl; Michigan avenges a 1998 loss to the Syracuse Orangemen; Florida ends the nation's longest winning streak at 14 by beating Orange-clad Tennessee. At least Texas beat Rice, but barely. |
Avenger of the day
| Revenge of the turtles |
| Last year, Maryland tailback LaMont Jordan rushed for career-low 1 yard against West Virginia in a 42-20 defeat. Saturday, he rushed for a career-high 164 yards in leading a 33-0 rout. |
Win of the day (over Div. I-AA division)
| Beaver believers |
| Ken Simonton had his third straight huge game, rushing for 180 yards and four touchdowns against Georgia Southern as the Beavers -- 3-0 for the first time since 1967 -- held off the best team in Division I-AA, 48-41. (Hey, in the Pac-10 that qualifies as a big win.)
Simonton has 557 yards in three games, rocketing to the top of the NCAA rushing list and giving first-year coach Dennis Erickson the game-breaker he needs to deliver long-suffering Beavers fans their first winning season since 1970. |
Five stars of the day
| 1. Florida sophomore DE Alex Brown |
Stats: Stymied Tennessee with five sacks, one interception.
Comment: He's the reason why Tee Martin needed postgame morphine instead of aspirin. |
| 2. Penn State receiver Chafie Fields |
Stats: 5 catches for 177 yards, two TDs, including 79-yard game-winner.
Comment: Who needs Arrington? Chafie Fields for the Heisman! |
| 3. Nebraska linebacker Julius Jackson |
Stats: Returned a fumble and an interception for touchdowns.
Comment: Outscores Cornhuskers' offense in 20-13 victory over Southern Miss. |
| 4. Kentucky quarterback Dusty Bonner |
Stats: Completed 24 of 31 for 304 yards and 5 TDs vs. Indiana.
Comment: Maybe it's the system, but he sure looks a lot like Tim Couch. |
| 5. Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel |
Stats: Completed 37 of 54 for 420 yards and three TDs.
Comment:It's pronounced "HYPE-pull" -- and he'll be pulling down hype starting, like, now.
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Quote of the day
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"One out of the last seven, they beat us. They're not in our league. They know that; we know that." |
| -- Florida quarterback Doug Johnson, who doesn't have to worry about retribution from Tennessee next season. He's a senior. |
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