Inside the Boxscores is a weekly feature by Matt Fargo that has been widely recognized as the best roundup in college football. Take an in-depth look at each game and extract the most relevant information that will help you in future handicap games. College football is full of wacky plays, misleading scores, and unexpected endings. Fargo takes you inside the action.
(12) Clemson 63 TEMPLE 9
Temple led 3-0 on their first drive, but was then outscored 559-189 the rest of the way as the Tigers racked up 63 unanswered points. Clemson finished with 337 rushing yards on 45 carries (7.5 ypc) and scored touchdowns on their first eight possessions. The Tigers earned a whopping 9.6 ypp and faced just five third downs on the night, converting four of them.
BOSTON COLLEGE 22 (22) Virginia Tech 3
Defenses were the story here as Boston College outscored the Hokies 264-181 as neither team topped the century mark in runs. Virginia Tech entered Boston College territory just three times, while four turnovers led to 13 points for the Eagles. The Hokies finished just 3-16 on third and fourth down conversions. Boston College was a perfect 4-4 inside the red zone.
AIR FORCE 24 State of Colorado 21
Colorado St. took a 21-3 lead until halftime, but the Falcons dominated the second half goal scoring three unanswered touchdowns to pull out the come-from-behind victory. After gaining 321 yards in the first half, the Rams were held to 67 yards after halftime. Air Force fumbled on their first two possessions, both inside the red zone, and missed a field goal on their third drive.
Pittsburgh 52 UCF 7
The Panthers returned the kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back. Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on their next two Golden Knights fumble drives and scored 17 total points on errors. The Panthers were inside the Central Florida 10-yard line on their first eight possessions, scoring on seven of them with a missed field goal the only exception.
CONNECTICUT 21 Army 7
The Huskies scored their first touchdown on a 98-yard run and their second on a punt return to build a 14-0 first quarter lead. The Black Knights cut the lead to seven points early in the fourth quarter, but Connecticut responded with an 80-yard touchdown run to clinch the win. Army had just 87 total yards in the first half, and with the exception of the long touchdown run, Connecticut had just 55 yards at halftime.
South Florida 37 NORTH CAROLINA 20
South Florida outscored the Tar Heels 417-285 and the Bulls rushed for 234 yards on 47 carries (5.0 ypc). Two second-quarter interceptions by North Carolina led to two brief touchdowns for South Florida as they scored 21 unanswered points to pull away. The Tar Heels forced two fumbles in the second half and the goal could only go on field goals on both possessions.
Wake Forest 25 NC STATE 23
NC State outscored the Deacons 334-266 but their comeback bid fell short with an interception at the Wake Forest 18-yard line with 45 seconds remaining. The Deacons nearly blew their second straight lead in the fourth quarter, but a 53-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter proved to be the difference. All three of Wake Forest’s field goals were from 51 yards or more.
(25) WISCONSIN 48 Minnesota 12
Wisconsin started the scoring with a 50-yard fumble recovery and the offense scored touchdowns on five of its first seven possessions. The Gophers’ lone touchdown came off a Badgers fumble at their own 27-yard line. Wisconsin held Minnesota to 200 total yards, including just 63 yards in the second half. The Badgers were a perfect 5-5 inside the red zone and finished 6-10 on third-down conversions.
Purdue 31 NORTHWEST 10
Purdue racked up 510 yards of offense and the score could have been worse, but the Boilermakers missed two scoring chances inside the red zone. Northwestern drove 80 yards for a touchdown on their first possession, but failed to get past Purdue’s 26-yard line the rest of the way. The Boilermakers had 448 passing yards while the defense held the Wildcats to just 83 passing yards.
(5) WEST VIRGINIA 41 Syracuse 17
The Mountaineers had 562 yards of offense including 457 rushing yards on 45 carries (10.2 ypc). The Orange jumped out ahead 7-0 and trailed by just three points at halftime, but West Virginia scored the first 24 points of the second half to break away. Syracuse scored its only points in the second half off a fumble recovery and finished with just eight total yards in the second half.
INDIANA 31 (15) Iowa 28
Iowa outscored the Hoosiers 467-413 but the Hawkeyes missed two field goals and committed two turnovers inside the Indiana 30-yard line. Those four possessions totaled 233 yards of offense that resulted in no points. Indiana scored 14 points on turnovers in its first two scores and finished the game 12-17 on third-down conversions. Indiana was a perfect 3-3 inside the red zone.
Vanderbilt 24 (16) GEORGIA 22
Georgia outscored the Commodores 373-291 but three possessions totaling 214 yards resulted in field goals. The Bulldogs missed a 38-yard field goal with just over five minutes to go that would have extended the lead to four points. The Commodores took possession and killed five minutes off the clock before kicking the game-winner.
(23) OKLAHOMA 34 State of Iowa 9
Iowa St. scored late in the first quarter to pull within seven points, but the Sooners defense took over, allowing just 158 yards of offense in the final three quarters. Oklahoma gained 242 of its 380 total yards on its first five possessions as it built a 24-7 lead and never looked back. The Cyclones went just 1-12 on third down conversions and finished with just 12 first downs.
State of Florida 51 DUKE 24
Florida St. returned a fumble 36 yards on the fourth play of the game and went on to win the game despite three interceptions on their last four possessions of the first half. The Seminoles scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions in the second half, three of which were drives of 80 yards or more. Duke finished with 307 total yards but just 52 rushing yards on 40 carries (1.3 ypc).
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 18 State of the ball 7
Central Michigan limited the Cardinals to just 213 total yards and 13 first downs while forcing five turnovers. Despite that, Ball St. trailed by just five points in the fourth quarter, but three fumbles and a turnover on downs at the Chippewas’ one-yard line on their four possessions in the fourth quarter prevented any chance of victory. . Central Michigan was only 3-5 inside the red zone and was hit with 10 penalties.
(24) Rutgers 34 NAVY 0
Rutgers limited the top-ranked rushing offense in the country to just 113 yards on 50 carries (2.3 ypc) as part of just 161 total yards and nine first downs. Navy crossed midfield just once, as he punted 11 times and turned it over three times in his own territory, once on a fumble and twice on fourth down. Rutgers had just 339 yards of offense, but they took advantage of his average position in the starting field at their own 46-yard line.
Oklahoma State 42 KANSAS 32
Kansas jumped out to a 17-0 lead thanks to three Cowboys fumbles, but Oklahoma St. scored 42 of its next 49 points to pull away. The Cowboys racked up 603 yards of offense and scored on big plays as they were inside the red zone just once in the entire game. The Jayhawks got within three points midway through the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys scored on the next play to clinch the win.
Arkansas State 26 MEMPHIS 23
The Indians gave the upset when they scored on a 53-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired. Arkansas St. led by 11 points at halftime, but Memphis fought back and took the lead with 6:40 remaining, but was unable to stop the Indians on their 73-yard scoring drive. Arkansas St. was very even with 216 rushing yards and 219 passing yards as he controlled about 10 more minutes on the clock.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 16 Northern Illinois 14
Western Michigan held the Huskies to 157 total yards and put Northern Illinois’ potent rushing attack in check as they finished with zero net yards. The Huskies scored first on a blocked punt for a touchdown and the offense generated just 77 yards before their final scoring drive. Despite all of that, the Broncos couldn’t pull away as they held only a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
WYOMING 31 Utah 15
Wyoming took a 31-0 lead as the defense held the Utes to just 144 total yards and eight first downs. Utah scored its first touchdown on a fumble return for a score and closed out the game with its only offensive touchdown in garbage time. The Utes had four turnovers, including an interception that the Cowboys returned for a touchdown. Wyoming has just 100 rushing yards on 44 carries (2.3 ypc).
Tulsa 31 EAST CAROLINA 10
Tulsa outscored the Pirates 358-241 and had 234 rushing yards. The Golden Hurricane ran 21 more plays and won the battle for time of possession by close to 16 minutes. East Carolina was inside Tulsa territory on its last six possessions, but a missed field goal, fumble and turnover on chances killed three scoring chances. Tulsa put the game away by scoring on three of their last four possessions.
ems 31 marshall 21
Marshall led by four points early in the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs scored the last two touchdowns of the game, including the last one coming off a fumble. The Thundering Herd finished with four turnovers, three of which occurred in the fourth quarter on their final three drives of the game. Both teams finished 8-14 on third-down conversions.
(18) OREGON 30 UCLA 20
Oregon outscored the Bruins 404-216 and scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. The scoring should have been much worse, but the Ducks had two turnovers that led to two UCLA touchdowns, missed a field goal and turned it over once. Oregon finished with 256 rushing yards on 43 carries (6.0 ypc) and held the Bruins to 104 yards on 30 carries (3.5 ypc).
Maryland 28 VIRGINIA 26
Virginia blew a 20-0 halftime lead when Maryland took advantage of several second-half errors by the Cavaliers. Virginia fumbled at their own one-yard line, setting up Maryland’s first touchdown, and the Terrapins also had a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown. Virginia got within two points, but missed the two-point conversion and never got the ball back.
(1) State of Ohio 38 STATE OF MICHIGAN 7
Ohio St. outscored the Spartans 421-198 and held Michigan St. scoreless until a rubbish touchdown with just over a minute remaining. The Spartans had just 95 total yards through the first three quarters, while the Buckeyes also returned a punt for a score. Ohio St. went 10-16 on third-down conversions and was a perfect 5-5 inside the red zone. Michigan St. had seven possessions of four plays or less.