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Saturday Football Roundup
09/08/2012
Tulsa opened league play with a 45-10 win over Tulane. Alex Singleton ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Chris Boswell hit a 45-yard field as time expired to give Rice a 25-24 win at Kansas.
TULSA 45, TULANE 10 Walker, a senior, collided with teammate Julius Warmsley, a defensive lineman, helmet-to-helmet while attempting to make a tackle. Walker was unable to move and was taken off the field in an ambulance and transported to a Tulsa hospital, where he was said to be in stable condition. Cody Green threw for 274 yards and two scores, including a 74-yarder to Thomas Roberson, as the Golden Hurricane (1-1) raced to a 35-3 halftime lead. Tulsa outgained Tulane (0-2) in rushing yards, 364-7. Reserve quarterback Devin Powell, playing in place of an injured Ryan Griffin, threw a 66-yard pass to Ryan Grant for the Green Wave's only TD. RICE at KANSAS Boswell also had kicks of 47, 29 and 29 yards for the Owls (1-1), who got into position for the winning score after Bryce Callahan's interception of Dayne Crist's pass with 3:47 to play. Rice's Taylor McHargue led a 93-yard drive late in the fourth period that ended when Charles Ross scored from the 2, making it 24-22 at the 4:47 mark. On the two-point conversion attempt, McHargue's pass to Luke Willson was caught out of bounds. Callahan's second interception of the day put the Owls in business near midfield. On fourth-and-4, McHargue connected with Vance McDonald for 7 yards to the Kansas 40. Three plays later, McHargue ran 12 yards, making sure the strong-legged Boswell was in range to stun the Jayhawks (1-1) with his last-second kick.
MARSHALL 52, WESTERN CAROLINA 24 Cato was 32 of 42 passing for the Thundering Herd (1-1) before giving way to freshman backup Blake Frohnapfel, who was a perfect 4 of 4 passing for 53 yards with one touchdown. Marshall's quarterback spread it around in the second quarter, throwing TD passes of 1 yard to Gator Hoskins, 2 yards to Aaron Dobson and 12 yards to Demetrius Evans for a 24-0 Marshall lead. Richard Sigmon's 40-yard field goal at the halftime whistle finally opened the scoring for the Catamounts (1-1). Devin Arrington returned an interception 18 yards for a score to push the Thundering Herd's advantage to 45-10. The Thundering Herd outgained the Catamounts 615-335, including a 430-191 yard margin through the air. LOUISIANA TECH 56, HOUSTON 49 The two explosive teams combined for 1,291 yards of offense and 78 first downs in a game that lasted 4 hours and 8 minutes and wasn't secured until Houston (0-2) failed on an onside kick attempt with 35 seconds remaining. Cameron had touchdown passes of 6, 8 and 14 yards while completing 34 of 52 passes for 353 yards; Ting rushed for 112 yards, including TDs of 13, 9 and 59 yards; and Kenneth Dixon added 90 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Bulldogs, who were playing their first game after their opener against Texas A&M was postponed last week due to Hurricane Isaac. Louisiana Tech needed all of that to offset Piland, who completed 53 passes in a school-record 77 attempts for 580 yards. He had touchdown passes of 32, 74, 7 and 12 yards to four different receivers. Daniel Spencer caught seven passes for 157 yards and a score, while Dewayne Peace had 11 catches for 141 yards and a TD for the Cougars. Louisiana Tech maintained at least a two-touchdown lead for much of the game. The Bulldogs led 14-0 after a pair of touchdown runs by Ting, a freshman. After Houston pulled within 21-20 at halftime, Ting raced around the left end, bounced off multiple defenders and raced 59 yards for a touchdown. Dixon, also a freshman, added his first career score on a 2-yard plunge to make 35-20 with 6:09 left in the third quarter. Louisiana Tech stretched the lead to 56-35 with 6:36 left in the game on a pair of Cameron touchdown passes and a 2-yard TD run by Ray Holley. But Piland took less than 2 minutes to go 75 yards, hitting Peace on a fade route for a 7-yard TD with 4:45 remaining. After Houston forced a Bulldogs punt, Piland hit 8 of 10 attempts on an 80-yard drive, pulling the Cougars within 56-49 when he found Deontay Greenberry for a 12-yard score with 35 seconds left. Houston recovered the ensuing onside kick, but it travelled only 9 yards, resulting in an illegal touching penalty, and Louisiana Tech ran out the clock. SMU 52, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 0 After the teams battled to a scoreless tie at the end of the first quarter, Line scored on a 3-yard run and a 1-yard run. He finished with 60 yards on 19 carries. Kenneth Acker excelled for SMU (1-1) on defense and special teams. He returned a blocked field-goal attempt 56 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half, and scored on a 77-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter. SMU intercepted seven passes and recovered two fumbles by Stephen F. Austin (1--1), returning one for a touchdown.
ARKANSAS STATE 33, MEMPHIS 28 The Red Wolves (1-1) took their first lead on David Oku's 1-yard touchdown run with 6:31 left in the game, then held off the Tigers (0-2). Oku had 130 yards rushing, Frankie Jackson added two short rushing touchdowns and Aplin completed 23 of 43 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown. Aplin, coming off a 304-yard passing game in a 57-34 loss to Oregon, also rushed for 73 yards. Josh Jarboe added six receptions for 101 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown, for Arkansas State, while J.D. McKissic had eight catches for 99 yards. Memphis scored twice on special teams, recovering a blocked punt in the end zone and recovering a fumble on a punt return in the end zone. MISSISSIPPI 28, UTEP 10 Wallace finished 15 of 22 for 174 yards and rushed 11 times for 53 yards as the Rebels built a 21-0 halftime lead. The Rebels finished with 538 yards of total offense, including 113 yards by Jeff Scott on 13 carries. UTEP (0-2), after failing to score an offensive touchdown in six quarters, rallied to pull within 21-10 in the third quarter. Nick Lamaison finished 21 of 33 for 213 yards but was sacked five times and the Miners never seriously threatened in the final quarter. Ole Miss set the tone on its opening possession, as Wallace's first completion was a 55-yard touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief. The stop-and-go sideline route was the longest play of the game as Moncrief finished with three catches for 72 yards. UTEP couldn't capitalize on a pair of second-quarter scoring opportunities. Lamaison was stopped on fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line by tackle Gilbert Pena. On the ensuring series, reserve quarterback Carson Meger was picked off in the end zone by Rebels safety Cody Prewett. Ole Miss broke it open with consecutive touchdown drives of 97 and 84 yards to push its advantage to 21-0. Wallace capped the initial drive with a 51-yard touchdown strike to Jaylen Walton and finished the final scoring series with a 4-yard run with 28 seconds left. The Miners broke through on the opening series of the second half. Lamaison connected with Jordan Leslie on a 26-yard touchdown pass to pull within 21-7 with 10:57 left in the third quarter. Steven Valadez added a 37-yard field goal with 2:58 left in the third to cut the deficit to 21-10. Ole Miss sealed it two series later, as Wallace capped a 69-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to H. R. Greer. (9) SOUTH CAROLINA 48, EAST CAROLINA 10 Instead, Spurrier said he now just has two guys who can play the position well. Spurrier said after the game that injured starter Connor Shaw will start next week for the Gamecocks (2-0) against UAB if he recovers from his bruised throwing shoulder. "If Connor is 100 percent, he's our guy," Spurrier said. "Now we know if something happens to Connor, Dylan can go in there." Thompson's 330 yards beat Shaw's career best game of 311 yards, and the passing game looked vastly better than last week, when the Gamecocks threw for just 67 yards and completed only seven passes against Vanderbilt. But Thompson told reporters that Shaw is a great player who deserves to stay the starter. "I'm just the backup quarterback. My role is to be ready when I am called," Thompson said. The sophomore's first completion was a 53-yard pass to Damiere Byrd. He finished the game 21 of 37, averaging almost 16 yards per completion. He did not throw an interception. The rejuvenated passing game allowed Spurrier to use star running back Marcus Lattimore sparingly. He gained 40 yards on 13 carries, although he did have a rushing touchdown that tied him for the most touchdowns in school history at 33 with Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers and Harold Green. Spurrier said before the game that Shaw could play if he was needed after bruising his right shoulder in last week's win over Vanderbilt. After the win, he said the junior's shoulder hurt so bad he could only go in an emergency. Thompson's play made that decision easy. After throwing two incompletions to start the game, he completed his next five passes as the Gamecocks jumped to a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. In fact, Thompson's only bad decision came late in the fourth quarter when he took on a defender as he tried to run the ball in for a touchdown on a third-and-19 with the Gamecocks up 31 points. Their helmets collided, and Thompson fumbled it away. Spurrier shook his head, smiled and patted his QB on the back when he got back to the sideline. "Don't ever do that again," Spurrier told him. Spurrier didn't let up. South Carolina threw the ball or planned to throw it on 14 of 19 plays in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Ace Sanders took a lateral and threw a 16-yard touchdown to D.L. Moore, then third string quarterback Seth Strickland threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rory Anderson with 44 seconds left. Spurrier said he asked offensive line coach Shawn Elliott what they should do late in the game. "I like it when the line coach says keep throwing," said Spurrier, who won his 199th career game. Anderson caught four passes for 90 yards, and Bruce Ellington had four receptions for 63 yards. South Carolina quarterbacks completed passes to 11 different receivers and threw for 397 yards. The Gamecocks gained 528 yards total. "Probably today the ball was in the air more distance than any game I've coached here," Spurrier said. Before the game, several receivers came into Thompson's hotel room to tell him they knew he could win. Spurrier shared a Bible verse with his deeply religious backup that said God is with him wherever he goes. "I appreciated that and the 9 million other Bible verses people are sending me," Thompson said. East Carolina (1-1) gained 403 yards. But the Pirates turned the ball over five times, including four interceptions and a fumble in just 16 plays. "We didn't help ourselves with turnovers. Against a great team like South Carolina, they don't need our help," Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill said. Rio Johnson got the start again at quarterback, but for most of the second half, McNeill went with Shane Carden, who broke his finger during spring drills. Carden led the Pirates on their only two scoring drives, including waiting out the rush to throw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hardy that cut South Carolina's lead to 41-10 with nine minutes left in the game. Carden was 12-of-18 for 140 yards and an interception, while Johnson completed 18 of 29 passes for 193 yards and three interceptions. McNeill said he will have to look at the film before deciding which of his four quarterbacks to start next week against Southern Mississippi. Hardy caught eight passes for 111 yards for East Carolina.
(14) OHIO STATE 31, UCF 16 Despite a 2-0 mark, Meyer, in his first year at Ohio State, is far from pleased. "We're not where I thought we'd be," he said of the Buckeyes' progress through two lopsided wins in which they've manhandled teams by a combined score of 87-26. In rapid succession, Meyer also said enough to depress any scarlet-and-gray clad fan. "In pass defense we have a long way to go and in getting pressure on the quarterback," he said. He added, "Offensively we're down to our third tailback and it looks like it. We have to get better. The guys carrying the ball are talented -- just terrible mistakes." One thing he doesn't have to worry about is Miller's production. A week after setting a school record for quarterbacks with 161 rushing yards in a 56-10 win over Miami (Ohio), Miller finished with 141 yards on 27 carries. His number kept coming up after starting running back Carlos Hyde left with a first-half knee injury. Miller's scoring runs covered 37, 6 and 8 yards. He also found Jake Stoneburner on a 12-yard touchdown pass. Miller hit on 18 of 24 passes for 155 yards -- no completion going for more than 15 yards -- with one interception. "Everything they talk about Braxton Miller is accurate," UCF coach George O'Leary said. "He can make you look very foolish. At times he did with our team." The 27 carries were a career high for the sophomore. No other Buckeye had more than seven attempts. "Carlos went down so I had to help out with the running to get that going," Miller said. Of course, Meyer was none too happy that his top player, who he said ran it too much a week ago when he had 17 attempts, is getting hit so often. At the same time, Meyer believes using Miller was the only way to beat UCF. "We have to find a way to win that game," Meyer said. "And I'm open for any suggestions." After a delay, he laughed and added, "Not really." Miller said his arm was sore and his muscles ached a lot more than after the opener. "I wasn't as sore as I am right now but there's a big gap between 27 and 17 (carries)," he said. The last Ohio State quarterback to rush for three touchdowns in a game was Art Schlichter against Illinois in 1978. Ahead by a tenuous seven points at the start of the second half, the Buckeyes put the game out of reach with big contributions from Miller and the defense. Miller was at the controls as the Buckeyes took the kickoff and rolled 76 yards in 12 plays. At the UCF 12, he looked right, then rolled left before lobbing a pass barely over the outstretched arm of cornerback Jordan Ozerities to Stoneburner in the end zone. After the extra-point and kickoff, UCF's Blake Bortles threw a ball up for grabs that was picked off by linebacker Etienne Sabino at the Knights' 32. "That's a horrible decision," Bortles said. "I've got to throw that ball out of bounds. I put our defense in a tough situation." Miller took over from there. He ran for nine yards, passed to Devin Smith for 15 and then covered the last eight yards behind fullback Zach Boren. The Buckeyes appeared to flounder soon after Hyde, who has a sprained ligament and is week-to-week, left the game. They were already without starter Jordan Hall, who missed all of camp and the first two games after surgery to repair a cut tendon in his right foot. It was almost as if Miller -- passing or running -- was their only weapon. On this day, at least, that was enough. With the game tied at 10 late in the half, Miller completed two passes for 24 yards, kept on a designed run for 24 yards before covering the final 6 yards on a sprint around left end. Miller raced untouched 37 yards up the middle on a quarterback delay for a quick 7-0 lead on the Buckeyes' opening possession. Bortles threw two TD passes for UCF (1-1) but he was also intercepted three times while completing 25 of 41 passes including TDs of 1 yard to Justin Tukes and 2 to Billy Giovanetti. Storm Johnson, starting in place of Latavius Murray, out with a shoulder injury, rushed for 75 yards on 12 carries. |
Who is your pick to win the 2013 C-USA Baseball Championship, May 22-26, at Rice's Reckling Park in Houston?
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