Killa Cam, Heisman Front-Runner. This season, there is no player that combines team achievement with individual statistics like Auburn’s Cameron Newton.
Burrowing Into Box Scores, Week 7: Cameron Newton’s Heisman Surge
Delving into the Week 7 box scores finds Cameron Newton atop the Heisman heap despite a career day from Arkansas’ backup, Wisconsin beating Ohio State at its own game, and much more.
Newton had 140 yards passing and a touchdown and another 188 yards rushing and three scores against Arkansas, and his Tigers are 7-0 and 4-0 in the SEC. It was Newton's fourth game of 100+ passing and 100+ rushing yards this year, and it moved him to fourth in the nation in rushing yards and a tie for the lead in rushing touchdowns with Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick.
But on a day in which many major Heisman contenders dropped games and disappointed (Martinez, Michigan's Denard Robinson, and Kaepernick all lost, and none were particularly impressive in defeat), it's Auburn's win that might mean the most. With it, the Tigers are virtually guaranteed to go at least 9-3 — it's unlikely, but they could conceivably lose to both LSU and Alabama and drop a game against either Georgia or Mississippi; the same can't be said of a home date against Chattanooga — and that's the same record Tim Tebow's Florida Gators had when he won the 2007 Heisman on eye-popping stats rather than national title contention. For a guy who welcomes the Tebow comparisons, that's another good one.
Mr. Wilson.
I’d be remiss if I moved on from the Auburn-Arkansas game:
was fantastic in relief of Ryan Mallett. Before his and Arkansas’ stirring second half dissolved with interceptions on consecutive possessions, Wilson was an incredible 17 of 19 through the air for 290 yards and four touchdowns. (He finished 25 of 34 for 332 yards.) That’s impressive for any quarterback, and for a backup who entered the game with more career interceptions than touchdowns to do that on the road is something more. Badgering The Buckeyes. Wisconsin beat Ohio State by playing the sort of football Wisconsin wants to play.
After David Gilreath returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Wisconsin's defense forced two punts and its offense scored two touchdowns on a six-play, 58-yard drive and a 19-play, 89-yard drive that staked the Badgers to a 21-0 lead they would never relinquish. From there, it was a matter of holding the Buckeyes in check, and Wisconsin did that well: Ohio State registered just four plays of more than 20 yards, on four separate drives, and none longer than 26 yards.
It’s not pretty football, of course, but Wisconsin showed last night that beating the Buckeyes can be done without superior talent or a bunch of turnovers. Playing Tresselball better than Jim Tressel’s squad can work, too.
Trojans Right Ship. In addition to devastating Adam Duritz, it just feels like USC got right against Cal. The 48-14 win was the Trojans’ first against a Pac-10 team with more than one win since a 44-10 drubbing of Oregon in October 2008.
Also, the Lane Kiffin Two-Point Conversion Watch seems all but silly at this point: for a third straight game, the Trojans didn’t go for two once.
Trojans Right Ship. In addition to devastating Adam Duritz, it just feels like USC got right against Cal. The 48-14 win was the Trojans’ first against a Pac-10 team with more than one win since a 44-10 drubbing of Oregon in October 2008.
Also, the Lane Kiffin Two-Point Conversion Watch seems all but silly at this point: for a third straight game, the Trojans didn’t go for two once.
BCS Busters: Broncos Romping. Boise State is separating itself from TCU on the field.
While the Broncos took hits in the absurd court of public opinion on Saturday thanks to losses by Oregon State and Nevada, they continue destroying the teams they face. San Jose State, even at home, proved no match: Boise went up 42-0 at the half and 49-0 in the third quarter, didn’t play most of its starters in the second half, and still held the Spartans to just 80 yards of total offense and only four drives of more than 10 yards. San Jose State is bad, of course, but for perspective, Alabama played the Spartans in Week 1 at home and conceded almost twice as many yards.
TCU was far less impressive: the Horned Frogs only got their 31-3 win against BYU by scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the game was uncomfortably close at 3-0 until late in the second quarter, when TCU scored two touchdowns in just over a minute of game clock. It’s nitpicky to be criticizing the team with the nation’s best defense when its offense has an off night, but, hey, this is what the BCS rankings require us in the college football pundit class to do.
The Still Sponsor-Free Conference USA Shootout Of The Week. Tulsa 52, Tulane 24. The game was closer than the score indicates: the teams were separated by just 11 yards, with the Golden Hurricane edging the Green Wave, 538-527, and Tulane scored just 10 points on four second half drives that ended in the red zone.
The Also Sponsor-Free MAC Foot-Shooting Of The Week. Bowling Green rallied from a 28-14 fourth quarter deficit to score a potentially game-tying touchdown as time expired, then went for two and the win and failed. This would be be bad on its own, but the Falcons had already converted a two-pointer earlier in the game, to tie it at 14, after their first PAT was blocked.
The Sun Belt Agonizing Moment Of The Week. Western Kentucky remains winless since September 2008, despite entering the fourth quarter against Louisiana-Monroe with 24-7 lead, because the Hilltoppers allowed 28 straight points in the final period.
The FCS Box Score Of The Week. How about Jacksonville’s 86-7 destruction of Valparaiso? The Dolphins led 66-7 at halftime, and 80-7 entering the fourth quarter, but gained just 57 yards in that final period. Oh, and this game was at Valparaiso.
The Division II Or Below Box Score Of The Week. This week, there are two: Valdosta State’s 5-0 win over North Alabama, and Southeastern Oklahoma’s 56-55 overtime win over Central Oklahoma. The latter’s just your garden-variety shootout, but the former was a neat sort of defensive struggle.
Both Valdosta State and North Alabama were top-20 teams in NCAA Division II coming in, and the ugly win and loss, thanks to the playoff system in place, ruins neither school’s season. North Alabama might want to figure out how to top an offensive brownout that included six first downs and just 101 yards of total offense, but Valdosta State has to be heartened to have clamped down like that.
North Alabama’s head coach had this to say after the game:
“I’ve never had a 5-0 game in my life. I don’t know if I’ve ever been in one like that. I can’t remember. I’ve had some low, low games and defensive ballgames, but never one where it’s like a baseball score. Like I said, a lot of credit goes to them. I want to say something special about our defense. I still say our boys tried hard and fought back at the end.” That coach? None other than Terry Bowden.
Notable Numbers. These are stats too brief for elaboration, and too good for tweets.
After Kansas State scored 52 straight points against Kansas, the Jayhawks answered with a touchdown with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter — which was answered by one final K-State score. ... Indiana found itself in a shootout with Sun Belt school Arkansas State, gave up 20 fourth-quarter points, and won 36-34. ... Boston College's Montel Harris had 139 rushing yards after the Eagles' first two possession; BC finished their 24-19 loss against Florida State with just 266 yards of total offense. ... Clemson waxed Maryland 31-3 despite being outgained 350-213; the Tigers had kick and interception returns for touchdowns. ... After two straight 30-24 losses to open the season, North Carolina has won four straight, and allowed no more than 17 points in a game. ... LSU gained just 282 yards against McNeese State. ... Florida scored seven points at home against Mississippi State, the offense's worst performance in The Swamp since a 36-7 loss to LSU in 2002.
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