ACC—Clemson finally beat Georgia Tech after losing four straight times to the Yellow Jackets. The Tiger defense held Georgia Tech to their lowest point total of the season, 13. Yellow Jackets’ quarterback Joshua Nesbitt was harassed all day, only passing for 83 yards and running for 2 yards. Clemson’s 27-13 victory gets them back to .500 in ACC play.
Big 12—There were three undefeated Big 12 teams heading into Week 8. Missouri was the only one to stay perfect. Mizzou knocked off Oklahoma, 36-27 at home. The Tiger offense and defense outperformed the Sooners in all aspects of the game, controlling the ball for over thirty-eight minutes. The sellout crowd of 71,004 stormed the field and took down the goal posts. This is the first 7-0 start for the Tigers since 1960. Gary Pinkel got his first win against the Sooners, and Missouri beat Oklahoma for the first time since 1998.
Big East—Just when it looked like one team in the Big East was the leader of the pack, West Virginia got upset by a scrappy Syracuse team. Syracuse turned three interceptions into 9 points as the Orange shocked the Mountaineers 19-15. Syracuse had five sacks and prevented the Mountaineers from scoring except for two first quarter touchdowns. The Orange ended an eight-game losing streak to West Virginia and gained possession of the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy.
Big Ten—Wisconsin followed up its big upset over Ohio State last week with another big win. The Badgers defeated the Hawkeyes 31-30 in Iowa City. With Wisky down 30-24 and facing fourth down, Badger punter Brad Nortman ran 17 yards on a fake punt to keep the go-ahead drive alive. Badger running back Montee Ball scored on an 8-yard run with 1:06 left in the game. The Hawkeyes were driving at the end of the game, but just ran out of time.
C-USA—Tulane got a much-needed win over UTEP on the road, 34-24. With 13:39 left in the game, the Miners tied the Green Wave 24-24. The Green Wave responded by scoring a touchdown and a subsequent field goal after regaining possession off an interception. Tulane had 461 yards of total offense while UTEP had 286 yards.
MAC—The Ohio Bobcats took the Miami (OH) RedHawks to the woodshed, 34-13, in a game that would decide the top dog in the MAC Eastern Division. Ohio’s defense was phenomenal, getting five sacks, four interceptions, and recovering two fumbles. The Bobcat defense also halted the RedHawks’ running game to just 11 yards. Despite committing 10 penalties for 105 yards, the Bobcats silenced 17,144 at Yager Stadium. Ohio is now 4-1 in conference play.
MWC—TCU routed Air Force 38-7 in Fort Worth to stay undefeated. Sophomore running back Ed Wesley rushed for 209 yards. The Horned Frogs held Air Force to just 184 yards rushing. Air Force was the top rushing team in the nation coming into the scrimmage, averaging 346 yards per game. The Horned Frogs outgained the Falcons 562 to 231.
Pac-10—With Nick Foles out due to injury, there were questions whether backup quarterback Matt Scott could lead the Wildcats to victory. Scott went 18 for 22 through the air, including two touchdowns. Scott had 233 yards passing and 65 yards rushing; Arizona didn’t miss Foles, nor miss a beat as it walloped Washington 44-14. The Wildcats are 6-1, their best start since 1998.
SEC—In the battle of two unbeatens, Auburn bested LSU by a touchdown. Auburn established their run game and didn’t look back. The Auburn Tigers ran for 440 yards, the most the LSU Tigers have allowed in a game in their entire history. Cam Newton had 217 of those rushing yards in addition to throwing for 86 yards. Newton now has the record for most rushing yards by a SEC quarterback in a season with 1,077. Auburn is the only undefeated team left in the SEC.
Sun Belt—Western Kentucky ended the nation’s longest losing streak by beating Louisiana-Lafayette 54-21 on the road. The Hilltoppers had lost 26 straight games before Saturday. The win also marks the Hilltoppers first win since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2009. Western Kentucky quarterback Kawaun Jakes was 18 for 22 with 262 yards and a touchdown. The Hilltoppers were 75% on third down conversions.
WAC—The Warriors of Hawaii routed the Aggies of Utah State 45-7 in Logan, Utah. Warrior quarterback Bryant Moniz passed for 389 yards, while running back Alex Green ran for 172 yards and four touchdowns. The Warrior defense had a coming-out party, holding the Aggies to just 181 yards of offense. Hawaii is now 4-0 in Western Athletic Conference games and 6-2 overall. Hawaii just might be a team that can give Boise State trouble on November 6th.
Independents—The Navy Midshipmen came up with a big victory over rival Notre Dame by a score of 35-17. Most of Navy’s production was on the ground; the Midshipmen only passed twice the entire game. Navy also did not have a single penalty. Navy lost forty-three straight meetings to the Fighting Irish between 1964 and 2006, but has now won three of the last four meetings. Navy has Notre Dame’s number.
