Ground Down: Deficient Running Games Lead to Top 25 Upsets

Cal’s Jahvid Best entered today’s game against Oregon as the nation’s fourth-leading rusher, averaging 137.33 yards over his Golden Bears’ first three games. He also had gotten into the end zone eight times. The Ducks held Best to just 55 yards and forced a fumble as they blasted the Bears, 42-3, in Autzen Stadium.↵↵Gummed-up ground games doomed more than a few teams on Saturday. Miami’s rushing game isn’t the offense’s strength, but Virginia Tech held the Hurricanes to just 59 yards on the ground in a 31-7 win in Blacksburg. Florida State could only muster 19 rushing yards against South Florida in a 17-7 loss. North Carolina’s woeful 17 yards against Georgia Tech consigned the Tar Heels to a 24-7 stinker.↵

↵↵Even some winners struggled to get in gear: LSU could only get 53 yards against a tough Mississippi State front seven, and Cincinnati had just 62 yards against Fresno State, though those came on just 14 carries.↵

↵↵A strong running game, as is often the case, was a ticket to victory: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Oregon, Texas and Ohio State all rushed for more than 230 yards.↵

↵On a day marred by rain that turned fields to muck in much of the eastern United States, it paid to have a few mudders.↵