Helmet Stickers: Week 6

ACC—In another installment of the heated Florida State-Miami rivalry, the Seminoles made a mockery out of their archenemy. Florida State put up the second greatest number of points against Miami in the rivalry, 45. Miami gave up the longest run in its history, 90 yards, to Seminole running back Craig Thompson.  This was the first time since in the last 10 games between the schools that the margin of victory was more than 8 points. Florida State is in the driver’s seat to win the ACC.

Big 12—Nebraska absolutely dominated K-State Thursday night in Manhattan. Redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez ran for 241 yards and passed for 128 yards. The Cornhusker defense was able to hold Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas to just 63 yards. If the Cornhuskers keep steamrolling teams, they could be playing in the BCS National Championship in January.

Big East—The Syracuse Orange beat South Florida 13-9 to get its best start since 1999, 4-1. Syracuse went ahead with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 98-yard drive. Doug Marrone’s defense picked off South Florida’s B.J. Daniels twice and held him to 124 yards. Marrone seems to have the Syracuse program headed in the right direction. The Orange may just get to a bowl game at the end of the season.

Big Ten—In the most talked about rivalry game of the week, undefeated Michigan State routed previously-undefeated Michigan 34-17 in the Big House. The Spartan defense intercepted Denard Robinson three times and held him to just 84 yards rushing. The Spartans exposed Denard Robinson as a fraud, not a legitimate Heisman contender. The Spartan offense was unstoppable and balanced, rushing for 249 yards and passing for 287 yards. For the first time since 1965-67, Michigan State has beaten Michigan in three straight years.

C-USA—East Carolina was the comeback kid of Week 6. The Pirates started their game with Southern Miss losing 20-0. They were able to recover, scoring 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to get the deficit to only 3 points at the half. The last thirty minutes of the game saw an additional 50 points scored between the two teams. East Carolina snapped Southern Miss’s 11-game home winning streak with a 44-43 win. Amazingly, East Carolina turned lost the turnover battle, giving up four and forcing none, yet still won the game.

MAC—The Huskies got a solid win over an Al Golden team that had only lost to Penn State this season. Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish passed for 211 yards with 80% efficiency. Northern Illinois running back Chad Spann rushed for 100 yards and a fourth quarter touchdown that sealed the 31-17 win over the Owls. The Huskies are 2-0 in conference play.

MWC—The Utah Utes seem to be building a resume under the radar while TCU and Boise State get all of the BCS buster attention. Utah destroyed Iowa State 68-27 in Ames. The Utah defense was aggressive, forcing Iowa State to go 0 for 11 on its third downs and picking off the Cyclone quarterback Austen Arnaud twice. Utah put up 593 yards of total offense, going 8 for 13 on its third downs. Utah wide receiver Reggie Dunn ran back a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown.

Pac-10—The Stanford Cardinal beat USC for the third time in the last four years. The win came as Stanford kicker Nate Whitaker hit a 30-yarder as time expired. Whitaker missed an extra point on Stanford’s final touchdown that allowed USC to lead the game 35-34 after a touchdown with 1:08 left in the game. This was USC’s second straight loss coming from off of a final-seconds field goal. Stanford’s Andrew Luck had another spectacular outing, passing for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

SEC—No. 19 South Carolina upset No. 1 Alabama 35-21 in the biggest win in South Carolina history! The Gamecocks’ defense held the nation’s best running duo, Ingram and Richardson, to just 64 yards. The Crimson Tide had to get most of their offense through the air. Stephen Garcia had the best game of his career, going 17 for 20 with three touchdowns. Gamecock receiver Alshon Jeffery caught seven passes for 127 yards. The Gamecocks put up the most points on Alabama (35) since the Crimson Tide lost 41-34 to LSU in 2007. If the Gamecocks keep playing inspired football, they will win the SEC East.

Sun Belt—Troy won their fifth straight against the Blue Raiders in the Tuesday night spotlight game, 42-13. Troy’s Corey Robinson picked apart the Middle Tennessee defense for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Twelve different Trojans had catches in the game. The Trojans have won 12 straight Sun Belt Conference games and should be the frontrunner to win the conference.

WAC—In another rivalry game, this one between two winless teams, New Mexico State beat New Mexico 16-14. With Aggies backup quarterback Tanner Rust injured in the fourth quarter, third-string quarterback Andrew Manley entered the game and went 2 for 2 to set up the game-winning 22-yard field goal with 1:56 left in the game. The Aggies recovered four New Mexico fumble, including one in the Lobos’ endzone for a touchdown. The Aggies beat their in-state rival for the second consecutive year and got their first win of the season.