#BoxScoreReview
Reviewing boxscores are an important part of handicapping. Final scores tell one story while stats, turnovers, and non-offensive scores often tell a very different tale. Here are quick game capsules of what stood out to me reviewing the weekend’s results. Note every game is not included if the box score and final told similar stories.
Florida St @ Louisville
Florida St spotted Louisville a 21-0 lead before outscoring the Cardinals 42-10 over the final 30:33. The Seminoles racked up 574 yards of offense against the nation’s #1 defense, a unit that was surrendering less than 300 yards per game coming into Thursday.
Troy @ Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern continued their ground assault on FBS opponents, this time racking up 421 of the pedestrian variety against Troy. GSU outgained Troy 461-154 and out first downed the Trojans 28-9 in their 42-10 obliteration.
Cincinnati @ Tulane
Cincinnati was -2 in the turnover department, compiling the same amount of first downs as Tulane in a game that wasn’t close. The Bearcats built a 24-0 halftime lead before the Green Wave trimmed the deficit to 24-14 mid-way through the 3rd quarter. Munchie Legeaux came off the bench to relieve Gunner Kiel (0-1, 1 INT) going 16-24 for 211 yards. Tommy Tuberville’s team finished the game with 265 yards rushing (Moore 15-124 and Boone 15-113).
Tulsa @ Memphis
Memphis spotted Tulsa a 14-3 early in the 2nd quarter. That was when the Tigers came to life, scoring 37 of the games next 43 points. Memphis only had a +15 differential in total yardage but found much more balance than Tulsa.
Air Force @ Army
Army picked up 8 first downs in getting dusted by their service academy rival Air Force 23-6. The Falcons ran 74 plays on offense compared to the Cadets 51. Neither option offense averaged more than 3.9 YPC on the afternoon.
Northwestern @ Iowa
Iowa scored less than 2 minutes into the game against Northwestern and never looked back, building a 24-0 cushion by the end of the 1st quarter. Iowa outgained NU 483-180, picking up 262 through the air 221 on the ground.
Maryland @ Penn St
In one of the day’s uglier games Maryland got a late field goal to upset Penn St. The Terrapins didn’t eclipse 200 yards of offense (finished with 194) but the Nittany Lions weren’t much better only gaining 219 for the whole game. The difference in the game were 4 PSU turnovers
Wisconsin @ Rutgers
Wisconsin whitewashed Rutgers 37-0, holding the Scarlet Knights to a total of 139 yards of offense. Rutgers’ quarterbacks combined to go 7-27 for 63 yards, a 2.3 YPA attempt average. Wisconsin wasn’t much better in the passing game, only throwing for 83 yards on a 8-20 afternoon. However, the Badgers averaged 6.5 YPC and gashed their opponent for 298 yards rushing.
Rice @ FIU
Over bettors that went early in FIU vs Rice had a legitimate gripe considering the 2 teams scored 41 points in the 1st half. The total died in the 2nd half with the only offense coming via an Owl score with 11:25 left in the 4th. The total actually closed 46 creating middle opportunities if you grabbed the best of the number depending on your position.
East Carolina @ Temple
Temple earned the award for least deserving victory of the entire weekend. The Owls surrendered 30 first downs to ECU, gave up 428 yards of Pirate offense, and allowed ECU to convert 9 of 16 third downs. However 5 ECU fumbles allowed the Owls to pull off the upset despite gaining 135 total yards of offense, accruing 10 first downs, and running 56 plays total (ECU ran 88).
Duke @ Pittsburgh
Pitt dropped a heartbreaker to Duke 51-48. The Panthers had a chance to win the game in regulation but missed a 26 yard chip shot. Pitt out first downed the Devils 37-25 and out rushed them 358-172 in the losing effort. Panthers also dominated the time of possession battle 41:08 to 18:52. James Conner was the primary workhorse, carrying the ball 38 for 263.
Oklahoma @ Iowa St
Oklahoma looked like an offensive juggernaut against Iowa St, racking up 751 yards on offense (241 passing, 510 rushing) compared to the Cyclones 334. Trevor Knight still showed issues protecting the football as he was picked off multiple times in the winning effort. The biggest issue for the Sooners was the injury to stud WR Sterling Shepard, putting his status in jeopardy for this weekend’s game against Baylor.
UL Monroe @ Texas A&M
Kyle Allen’s Texas A&M debut was anything but spectacular. The Aggies didn’t score a single point in the second half, holding on for dear life in a 21-16 win over UL-Monroe. Allen was 13-28 and only led the Aggies to 243 yards of total offense. The Warhawks picked up 347 on their side but settled for 2 short field goals in the 4th quarter keeping them from pulling off the upset as 32.5 point underdogs.
North Carolina @ Miami
Miami’s defense stifled the North Carolina ground game (32 carries for 6 yards) in their 47-20 victory. Duke Johnson was the bell cow for Al Golden’s bunch, toting the rock 19 times for 177 yards. The 27 point final margin was actually misleading considering Miami had built a 44-6 lead half way through the 3rd quarter.
Boston College @ Virginia Tech
Boston College pulled off the upset as short underdogs in Blacksburg despite picking up a grand total of 11 first downs. The Eagles were actually outgained 414-368 in the winning effort.
Central Michigan @ Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan was mathematically eliminated from postseason consideration after losing to Central Michigan 38-7. EMU went out in style gaining a grand total of 97 yards in the game while picking up just 5 first downs. CMU didn’t miss the services of leading rusher Thomas Rawls at all as the Chips ran for 278 yards on 55 carries.
Washington @ Colorado
Colorado’s game against Washington was a tale of 2 halves. The Buffaloes took a 20-17 lead into halftime but didn’t show up for the 2nd half, getting outscored 21-3 by the visiting Huskies. Colorado outgained Washington 495-442, out first downed them 24-14, but let a 24-23 deficit balloon to 38-23 margin after a UW interception return late in the 3rd coupled with an 87 yard punt return to start the 4th.
NC State @ Syracuse
NC State was outgained, out first downed, and out executed in their 24-17 win against Syracuse. The Wolfpack had a game changing 82 yard interception return with 2:52 left in the 3rd that changed all the momentum in the game. The Orange finished the game -3 in the turnover department.
TCU @ West Virginia
Trevone Boykin struggled to find a rhythm in TCU’s 31-30 win over West Virginia in Morgantown. TCU benefited from 5 WVU turnovers and a conservative gameplan in the 4th quarter that doomed the Neers. Dana Holgerson’s side ran 9 plays in the 4th quarter for a net total of -7 yards on their 3 drives.
BYU @ Middle Tennessee St
Even though it became one of the weekend’s biggest line moves, MTSU proved no match for a pissed off BYU side. BYU outgained the Raiders 444-228 and won the turnover battle 2-0 in Murfreesboro. The pointspread on this game opened 7 before being bet all the way down to 3 before kickoff.
Purdue @ Nebraska
Purdue held on late to cover +23.5 on the road at Nebraska. The big news in the game was the departure of Ameer Abdullah to a mild MCL sprain after only 6 carries for 1 yard. The Boilers outgained the Huskers 340-297 but were done in by 5 short Nebraska TD drives, none of which traveled more than 65 yards.
Indiana @ Michigan
Michigan stifled the Hoosiers offense in their 34-10 win in the Big House. Indiana was only able to muster 191 yards of total offensive output coupled with 10 first downs. Tevin Coleman was the lone bright spot for Indiana, carrying 27 times for 108 yards. Even though the Hoosiers trailed for most of the game they only attempted a total of 8 passes.
Georgia vs Florida
Georgia had no answer for a Florida rushing attack that picked up 418 yards on 60 carries. On the afternoon the Gators attempted a grand total of 6 passes vs the Bulldog defense.
Georgia St @ Appalachian St
Appalachian St dominated Georgia St in every facet of the game. The Mountaineers picked up 567 yards to GSU’s 62 and were +20 in first downs. Marcus Cox and Ricky Fergerson carried the rushing load combining to gain 263 yards on 43 carries.
Texas St @ New Mexico St
New Mexico St lost the game on the scoreboard to Texas St but won a majority of statistical battles. The Aggies gained 239 yards more than their opponent while picking up 32 first downs to the Bobcats 21. A TSU blocked punt mid-way through the 3rd quarter ultimately proved to be the difference in the ball game.
Kansas @ Baylor
It’s hard for a 60-14 score line to be misleading given the Bears domination but that was the case Saturday vs Kansas. The Bears outgained KU 669-304 but settled for 4 second quarter field goals keeping them from eclipsing 70 points. All 4 of those field goals came from 37 yards or closer
USC @ Washington St
Washington St lost their record setting QB Connor Halliday to a broken leg in the team’s 44-17 loss to USC. The Trojans never looked back after building a 24-0 lead highlighted by a massive effort from Cody Kessler. In relief of Halliday Luke Falk went 38-57 for 370 yards with 2 TD’s and 1 pick.
Arkansas St @ Idaho
Idaho somehow covered as 17.5 point underdogs at home against Arkansas St despite their best efforts not to. The final score of 44-28 is somewhat surprising when you consider the Vandals finished the game with 4 fumbles and 4 interceptions compared to Arkansas St’s lone turnover.
New Mexico @ UNLV
UNLV actually outplayed New Mexico even though they came up on the short end of a 31-28 decision. Rebels found themselves in a 17-0 hole early before taking a 28-24 advantage with 8:28 remaining. Rebs were +179 in yards and +11 in first downs. New Mexico only gained 5 yards through the air.
Auburn @ Ole Miss
Ole Miss finished their game against Auburn with 3 receivers all eclipsing the 100 yard mark. It wasn’t enough as a Laquan Treadwell fumble on the goal line in the game’s final minutes kept Ole Miss from holding serve against the Tigers. Treadwell’s fumble was unfortunate yet the real bad luck was him breaking his leg on the play, sidelining the talented WR for up to 4 months.
UAB @ Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic took the first 3 quarters off against UAB, allowing the Blazers to take a 28-7 lead headed into the final stanza. FAU surged back to tie the game at 28 before UAB kicked a 24 yard field goal with only 2 seconds left to get the win.
Old Dominion @ Vanderbilt
Break up the Vanderbilt Commodores!!! Leave it to ODU’s defense to let a struggling offense break the 40 point barrier. Vandy doubled up the Monarchs in first downs (33-16) and found perfect balance on offense (281 passing, 243 rushing). Johnny McRary threw 5 TD passes in the winning effort.
Tennessee @ South Carolina
Tennessee scored the game’s final 2 Touchdowns against South Carolina with under 2 minutes to go in regulation forcing overtime. In the extra period the Vols made a 32 yard field goal on their first possession before holding the Gamecocks scoreless. Joshua Dobbs (UT QB) was the player of the game, throwing for 301 yards while adding 166 on the ground. The two SEC teams combined for 1,270 total yards of offense on the evening.
Stanford @ Oregon
Oregon turned a 24-16 lead late in the 3rd quarter into a 45-16 final against the Cardinal. The Ducks offensive explosion marked a big achievement, scoring more than 30 points against the vaunted Stanford defense thanks to a perfectly balanced (258 passing, 267 rushing) offensive attack.
Illinois @ Ohio St
Ohio St owned the scoreboard and stat sheet against Illinois. There was no smoke or mirrors behind the Buckeyes 55-14 win, outgaining Illinois 545-243 while picking up 28 first downs compared to the Illini’s 15. Illinois was also done in by their 4 turnovers, making them -3 on the evening.
Southern Miss @ UTEP
Southern Miss found a way to drop a 21 point decision against the Miners although they outgained their opponent 402-234 on the evening. USM played without starting QB Nick Mullens and it showed, allowing a 21-14 game to start the 4th to turn into a 35-14 final score because of 2 defensive touchdowns. Add in the 98 yard kickoff return for UTEP and 21 of the 35 Miners total points came from the non-offensive variety.
California @ Oregon St
Cal used a balanced attack to upend Oregon St in Corvallis. Cal saw their 27-10 advantage disappear thanks to 3 Oregon St TD’s in about a 9 minute span before the Golden Bears closed the game with 3 touchdowns of their own during the game’s final 8:42.
Arizona @ UCLA
Arizona drove 75 yards over 10 plays to start the game against UCLA. Unfortunately that’s where the evening peaked for Arizona who wouldn’t score again. UCLA’s offense was anything but dynamic however their 2 third quarter TD’s were enough to get the 17-7 victory at the Rose Bowl. UCLA outgained Arizona 460-255 on the evening, picking up more rushing yards (271) than Arizona’s total offensive output.
San Diego St @ Nevada
Nevada did what Nevada does best; spot their opponent a halftime lead before putting together an impressive 2nd half to get the win and cover. Yardage for the evening was pretty close instead but San Diego St’s offense sputtered to a complete halt, gaining 35 yards on their final 5 drives.
Wyoming @ Fresno St
Wyoming made mincemeat of the Fresno St defense, putting up nearly 700 yards of offense in their 45-17 victory. Wyoming passed the ball for 320 yards while running for 374. A previously struggling Cowboy offense finished the night averaging just under 10 yards per play.
Utah St @ Hawaii
Hawaii and Utah St made under bettors cry scoring 28 points on the game’s first 4 drives. Over the final 3 quarters the teams combined for 21 points but the damage had already been done. Yardage was damn near equal however Hawaii’s -3 turnover differential allowed Utah St to escape the islands with a 3 score victory despite playing with a 4th string quarterback.
Utah @ Arizona St
Given the yardage differential in the game, Utah was fortunate to force overtime against Arizona St. The Sun Devils finished the evening +203 in offensive output. Utah’s passing game was non-existent, only accounting for 57 yards on in the game.
