#BoxscoreReview Week 3
The deeper we get into the college football season, the more information we can glean from a team’s stats. Numbers never lie however there’s always noise in boxscores that needs to be sorted out before using it as the gospel. Final scores are misleading and that’s why we’re here to help sort out some of the stat lines that will help us identify value moving forward. Kudos to all those teams that pulled off impressive upsets, even with the playoff there’s still plenty of drama unfolding and yet to occur during the regular season.
BYU vs Houston
Byu only beat Houston 33-25 but the game was never as close as the final score. The Cougars got out of the gates quickly, building a 23-0 lead before Houston chipped into the lead before the half. Stat wise BYU out first downed Houston 32-18, outgained them by 198 yards, and out rushed them 323-10. Turnovers were the great equalizer keeping the undermanned UH side in the game.
North Texas vs La Tech
Louisiana Tech looked impressive in dispatching of North Texas 42-21. Tech built a 42-7 lead before the Mean Green scored the final 14 points of the game making the final look more respectable. Skip Holtz squad only outgained UNT by 79 yards however 135 yards of North Texas’ 279 came on the final 2 drives in garbage time.
Buffalo vs Baylor
Baylor went into western New York and obliterated Buffalo 63-21. The Bulls found a way to put 21 points on the board late however that came courtesy of the Bears second string defense. Against Baylor’s starters in the 1st half Buffalo amassed a grand total of 75 yards of offense on 8 drives with each series ending in a punt.
Cincinnati vs Toledo
Toledo and Cincinnati played one of the more entertaining games of the entire weekend. The Bearcats raced out to a 41-7 lead before the Rockets actually cut the deficit to 7 after scoring 27 unanswered points to get inside the number. Gunnier Kiel wasn’t done though and ended up throwing 2 additional touchdown passes in the games final 12 minutes giving him 6 in his college football debut, tying the NCAA record.
Marshall vs Ohio
Marshall gained over 700 yards in their pasting of Ohio 44-14. Heisman hopeful Rakeem Cato went 17-29 for 425 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game. The Thundering Herd actually led this game 41-0 at one point before Ohio outscored them 14-3 during the last 20 minutes.
Missouri vs UCF
A 20 yard edge in total offensive output isn’t consistent with a 28 point blowout. However this is what unfolded in Columbia Saturday with Missouri using a 17-0 4th quarter to extend their margin of victory. Turnovers doomed UCF’s upset bid (and cover) as they lost the battle 4-1 with the last turnover resulting in a 60 yard fumble return for a Tiger touchdown with 13 seconds left. The most impressive part of Mizzou’s offensive performance was their ability to extend drives going 10-14 on 3rd down.
UCONN vs Boise St
Boise St outgained Uconn by a grand total of 2 yards (292-290). The 2 teams combined for a grand total of 100 yards on the ground with neither averaging more than 2 yards per carry. Uconn was done in by 3 turnovers turning a 24-21 deficit late in the 3rd to a 38-21 Broncos final score line.
Virginia Tech vs ECU
East Carolina gained over 500 yards in their upset victory against Virginia Tech. ECU scored touchdowns on 3 of their first 4 drives building a 21-0 lead but wasn’t able to muster any offense on their next 11 drives. It wasn’t until their final drive of the game where ECU found offense again leading to a game winning TD with less than 20 seconds left. The Pirates had 6 drives in the 2nd half, only 2 traveled more than 18 yards.
Georgia Tech vs Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech were involved in a thriller that saw Tech’s game winning TD come with 23 ticks left in the 4th quarter. Georgia Southern actually faced a 35-10 deficit before storming back with 28 straight points. There was nothing fluky involved in the comeback, all 4 Eagles drives covered at least 75 yards with 3 going 83 yards or more. Southern was also involved in one of the biggest line moves of the day, watching their dog price go from +21 down to +15.5 before kickoff.
FIU vs Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh appeared to be sleepwalking through the 1st quarter, spotting 26 pt underdog FIU a 16-0 lead. Eventually James Conner and company got things going scoring the games next 26 points. For the Panthers it was all about the ground and pound, 321 yards of their 422 came courtesy of a punishing ground game. Pitt ended the game -2 in the turnover department.
CMU vs Syracuse
Central Michigan took a 3-0 lead on Syracuse…and that’s where their day peaked giving up the final 40 points in the game in getting run out of their own building. Syracuse out gained CMU 464-217, picked up 11 more first downs, and had a decisive edge on the ground 289-34.
Maryland vs West Virginia
West Virginia may have needed a field goal as time expired to slip by Maryland 40-37 but they actually dominated their border rivals. Neers were +17 in first downs and gained 247 more yards more yards than the Terps. Clint Trickett was very impressive completing 37 of 49 passes for 511 yards. Maryland was never really able to get going on the ground as QB CJ Brown was the only player that carried the ball more than 4 times for the Terps.
Vanderbilt vs UMASS
Vanderbilt continued their season long offensive struggles against UMASS but did slip by the Minutemen 34-30 after scoring the games final 14 points. Vandy used 2 non offensive touchdowns in the game (fumble/blocked punt) to get the win despite being outgained by the MAC cellar dwellers.
Virginia vs Louisville
Virginia and Louisville combined for 7 turnovers in their Saturday slugfest. Despite winning the game 23-21, UVA only picked up 13 first downs while mirroring the Cardinals in total yardage. There was strong under money in this game as the total opened at 53, eventually closing at 46 for good reason given the game’s final score.
Oregon vs Wyoming
Oregon spent the majority of the game going through the motions against Wyoming. The Ducks trailed after the first quarter for the first time in an eternity but found another gear as they often do winning the game 48-14. Wyoming lost the turnover battle 3-0 and couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down, allowing the Ducks to convert 9 of 11 for the game.
Duke vs Kansas
Duke embarrassed Kansas…the most shocking stat line was the stat line for Duke running back Shaun Wilson: 12 carries for 245 yards, an average of 20.4 yards per carry. Glad to see to Charlie Weis up to his old trucks yet again in Lawrence.
USF vs NC State
USF was as bad on the stat sheet as they were on the scoreboard dropping the decision 49-17. USF picked up 8 first downs to NCSU’s 30, gained 159 yards compared to the Wolfpack’s 589, and converted 20% of their third down attempts. NCSU also dominated the time of possession battle 38:49 to 21:11.
Texas Tech vs Arkansas
Arkansas picked up 438 yards of their 499 via a pounding ground game. Tech of course took to the air like they always do but only gained 252 yards that way for an average of 5.6 yards per attempt. Over the course of their last 9 games (3-6 stretch), Tech has allowed their opponents to rack up an average of 294 yards per game. The game was tied at 21 before Arkansas outscored the Raiders 28-7 to close out the game.
Iowa vs Iowa St
Sometimes you have to stare your demons right in the eye…and that’s what I did after betting Iowa as 13 point favorites. The Hawkeyes looked like anything but favorites in the 2nd half as the Cyclones erased an 11 pt halftime deficit en route to a Cy-Hawk upset. There was very little worth discussing in the way of big plays but to the credit of ISU’s defense, they kept the Hawkeyes rushing game in check holding them to less than 3 yPC on 44 rushing attempts.
Ole Miss vs UL Lafayette
Bo Wallace shined against ULL, going 23-38 for 316 yards en route to a dominating Ole Miss win. The Rebels built a 49-6 lead at one point before coasting to a 56-15 final score line.
South Alabama vs Mississippi St
Despite being the chosen side for the professionals, South Alabama was never competitive in dropping a 35-3 decision to Mississippi St. MSU found outstanding balance going 216 through the air, 288 on the ground. Dak Prescott was responsible for 340 combined yards of Bulldogs offense. South Alabama was forced to abandon their ground game early only running it 27 times with no success.
Washington vs Illinois
Washington beat Illinois 44-19 but there was plenty of noise in the numbers. The Huskies scored 2 non offensive touchdowns (fumble/Pick 6) both courtesy of their defensive star Shaq Thompson. Somehow the game stayed under the total of 64.5 although there were 50 points on the board by halftime. Illinois struggled to run the ball, gaining 72 yards while Washington picked up 246 on the ground.
Stanford vs Army
Stanford made workman like effort of Army beating the Cadets 35-0. The Cardinal doubled up Army’s offensive production and had a goal line stand late to keep Army from getting in the backdoor. Army only had 2 drives that lasted 10 plays or more, not exactly a trademark of a team that lives on the option offense.
Old Dominion vs Eastern Mich
Old Dominion took a tremendous amount of money before kickoff…with the line ballooning from -14 out to -19.5. Unfortunately the Monarch’s offense never found any consistency only gaining 367 yards against EMU. The Hurons/Eagles were beyond sorry moving the football themselves gaining 215 including a robust 72 through the air on 24 attempts.
UNLV vs N. Illinois
To say UNLV couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down is a bit of an understatement. NIU converted 15 of 19 opportunities to extend drives in route to gaining 616 yards of offense. Balance was the name of the game for the Huskies who picked up 331 on the ground and 285 through the air. UNLV relied purely on an aerial attack gaining 397 that way. Despite being the better side for most of the game NIU actually needed a TD with under 2 minutes remaining to give them the front door cover as 10 pt chalk.
MTSU vs Western Kentucky
For the 2nd time in 3 games Western Kentucky gained over 700 yards of offense. Of course in this game against MTSU they benefited from 3 additional OT sessions to do so but that shouldn’t take away from Brandon Doughty’s 593 yards passing. MTSU relied on their ground game, electing to run the ball on nearly 2/3 of their offensive plays.
Utah St vs Wake Forest
Somehow Wake Forest and Utah St combined for 60 points even though the two teams went scoreless in the 4th. Three of the game’s first 4 touchdowns were of the non offensive variety burying under backers (including myself) right from the start. Rushing appeared to be a problem for both sides with Wake carrying 24 times for -25 yards while Utah St was only slightly better averaging 1.7 YPC on their 35 attempts.
Florida Atlantic vs Tulsa
FAU shook off the potential hangover of beatdowns against Nebraska and Alabama, walloping Tulsa 50-21. FAU only picked up 18 first downs in the game but was the beneficiary of big plays with their 518 yards of offense representing the best showing of the year.
LSU vs UL Monroe
ULM gained 93 yards…picked up 6 first downs vs LSU but still covered if you grabbed them at the market peak of 31.5.
Rutgers vs Penn St
Penn St erased a 10-0 halftime deficit to spoil Rutgers Big 10 debut. PSU had a decided edge in passing yards (309-192) but wasn’t able to move the ball on the ground against Rutgers stout defensive front. The real achilles heel for the Knights was 5 Gary Nova interceptions, dooming their upset bid from the start.
Boston College vs USC
BC’s Tyler Murphy only completed 5 passes (none in the second half) but it didn’t spoil their upset bid against USC winning outright as 17 pt dogs. The Eagles averaged 8.4 YPC (basically running the same play) while holding USC to .7 YPC on the other side. They say being able to run the ball and stop the run makes for a very live dog…that definitely proved to be the case at Chestnut Hill on Saturday.
Oklahoma vs Tennessee
There’s no arguing that Oklahoma was the better team against Tennessee on Saturday. However, the Sooners offense needed help from the D to cover as 20 pt favorites. It wasn’t until a 100 yard interception return from Julian Wilson that OU was outside the number for the first time, eliminating any chance of UT sneaking in the backdoor.
Texas St vs Navy
No Keenan Reynolds no problem for the Middies in covering against Texas State. The Bobcats had no one to blame but themselves picking up 11 penalties for 125 yards spoiling any chance for an upset. Navy only outgained TSU by 27 yards but used a 28-7 first half to lead them to a cover.
Texas A&M vs Rice
Texas A&M didn’t play their best football game despite beating Rice 38-10. The Owls won the stat sheet battle with a +5 differential in first downs and gaining 4 more yards on offense than the Aggies. Rice stayed committed to their ground game, picking up 240 on rushing yards but only averaging 4.4 YPC on 55 attempts.
Colorado vs Arizona St
I won’t go so far as saying Colorado was the better team against Arizona St on Saturday night but you;d be hard pressed to figure out which team won by 2 TD’s given the final stat line. Colorado threw for 313 yards and ran for 232 yards in outgaining ASU and putting up 28 FD’s compared to ASU’s 18. Turnovers of course became the difference maker with the Buffs finishing the evening -3 in that department.
Fresno St vs Nebraska
Fresno St is bad…that’s all you really need to know about the Bulldogs at this point.
