Inside the Boxscores – Week 4 Part 2

Saturday, September 20, 2008 (cont.)

Virginia Tech 20 NORTH CAROLINA 17

North Carolina had a 14-point lead late in the third quarter but the Hokies were able to score on three straight possessions to take the lead. The Tar Heels could not get anything going on offense after the loss of quarterback Tyler Yates as they turned the ball over three times in their last four possessions. In total, North Carolina had four turnovers which led to 10 points for Virginia Tech.

(19) Boise State 37 OREGON 32

It was a wild finish in Eugene as the Ducks comeback just fell short. Boise St. jumped ahead 37-13 at the end of the third quarter but Oregon scored three touchdowns in the final period to pull within five points with just over two minutes remaining. The Broncos were able to run out the clock and seal the win. The Ducks outgained Boise St. 464-424 but committed four turnovers that led to 10 points.

Marshall 34 SOUTHERN MISS 27

Southern Miss actually outgained Marshall by two yards but it was hurt by a turnover that led to a touchdown for the Thundering Herd. It was an interception that led to a short 18-yard drive to put Marshall up by two touchdowns. All three of the Golden Eagles touchdown drives were possessions of 70 yards or more. Southern Miss was also hurt by 11 penalties for 129 yards.

(4) Florida 30 TENNESSEE 6

Florida scored on its opening possession and never looked back. The Gators were actually outgained in this game 258-243 but they won the turnover battle 3-0. The Volunteers turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions while the other possession in there resulted in a punt that Florida returned 78 yards for a touchdown. Two of those turnovers were inside the Gators two-yard line.

Miami-Florida 41 TEXAS A&M 23

Texas A&M jumped ahead 7-0 but the Hurricanes scored 41 of the next 44 points to win going away. Miami took advantage of an interception that resulted in a touchdown on the next play while also returning a fumble for a score two plays after that. The Hurricanes only outgained the Aggies by 36 total yards but 160 of Texas A&M’s 362 total yards came in garbage time after the game was well decided.

(17) Utah 30 AIR FORCE 23

The game was not nearly as close as the final scored indicates at Utah outgained the Falcons 440-191 and held the Falcons potent rushing attack to just 53 yards on 42 carries (1.3 ypc). The problem for the Utes was mistakes and missed opportunities. They missed two field goals, turned it over on downs once and had three turnovers including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

UTAH STATE 42 Idaho 17

Utah St. outgained the Vandals 580-281 but still needed a big fourth quarter to pull away. The Aggies scored touchdowns on four of its last five possessions while also returning a fumble for a score. The first five possessions were just the opposite as they had two turnovers, a missed field goal and a missed fourth down attempt, all in Idaho territory. Utah St. had 356 yards rushing on 44 carries (8.1 ypc).

(13) So Florida 17 FLORIDA INTL 9

The Bulls jumped ahead 17-0 before the Golden Panthers tacked on a safety and a garbage touchdown to make it look more respectable. South Florida outgained Florida International 320-189 and held the Golden Panthers to just nine first downs. The Bulls easily could have had a bigger score but they had a 21-yard field goal blocked and also failed on a fourth down attempt at the one-yard line.

ARKANSAS STATE 31 Middle Tennessee 14

Arkansas St. outgained the Blue Raiders 440-315 and built a 24-0 lead before coasting the rest of the way. Middle Tennessee moved into Red Wolves territory on four of its first five possessions but missed a field goal and threw two interceptions on three of those. Arkansas St. held the Blue Raiders to 44 yards rushing on 25 carries (1.8 ypc) while the offense finished 8-15 on third down attempts.

(16) Wake Forest 12 FLORIDA STATE 3

It was a game of field goals, missed field goals and turnovers. Wake Forest outgained Florida St. 276-220 and finished with four field goals while also missing three attempts. The Seminoles turned the ball over on their first two possessions but they were hardly done as they turned it over seven times overall. Six of those miscues took place in their own territory but it ended up costing them only six points.

Ball State 42 INDIANA 20

The game was close for most of the first half as the Hoosiers pulled to within a point on three different occasions. Ball St. intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards to take an eight-point lead into halftime and then scored the only two touchdowns of the second half. The Cardinals outgained Indiana 463-415 but had two turnovers of its own while also missing a field goal.

(21) Vanderbilt 23 OLE MISS 17

Mississippi outgained the Commodores 385-202 but it was done in by six turnovers. Three touchdowns were scored in the first quarter in a span of less than 30 seconds on a fumble recovery, an interception return and a kickoff return. In the Rebels final seven possessions, they turned it over four times, missed a field goal and turned it over on downs at the Vanderbilt one-yard line.

(7) TEXAS 52 Rice 10

Rice was able to get inside the Texas 30-yard line on its first two possessions but came away with only three points. Texas fumbled in the endzone on its first drive and then scored on eight of its next nine possessions. The Longhorns racked up 600 yards of offense while gaining 8.8 yppl compared to just 318 total yards and 4.4 yppl for the Owls. Rice had 17 yards rushing on 24 carries (0.7 ypc) and finished 2-14 on third down.

TULSA 56 New Mexico 14

Tulsa jumped ahead 35-0 at halftime and never looked back. The Golden Hurricane outgained the Lobos 606-316 while scoring touchdowns on eight of its first 11 possessions. Tulsa was far from perfect as it committed three turnovers and failed on a fourth down attempt. New Mexico did not help matters by throwing four interceptions that led to 28 points for Tulsa.

UL LAFAYETTE 44 Kent State 27

The Ragin’ Cajuns racked up 667 total yards of offense including 414 yards rushing on 52 carries (8.0 ypc). Kent St. took a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter but Louisiana-Lafayette scored five of the next six touchdowns to pull away. The Golden Flashes took the lead early thanks to a fumble and while the offense generated 396 total yards, 93 of those came on their final possession in garbage time.

CINCINNATI 45 Miami-Ohio 20

Cincinnati easily won this rivalry game despite Miami trailing by just four points early in the third quarter. The Bearcats scored the final three touchdowns of the game including the first being a 72-yard interception return as Miami was driving to take a possible lead. Cincinnati outgained the RedHawks 393-301 and held Miami to 66 yards rushing on 30 carries (2.2 ypc).

(5) L-S-U 26 (15) AUBURN 21

LSU outgained the Tigers 398-320 but it came down to the final minute before the game was decided. Auburn drove 74 yards for the go ahead touchdown with 6:40 remaining and then forced a three and out but the offense stalled and LSU took the next possession and drove 54 yards for the game winner. Auburn has one last chance but turned it over on downs at the LSU 39-yard line with 20 seconds left.

(24) T-C-U 48 S-M-U 7

TCU came up big on defense yet again as it held the Mustangs to 210 total yards and 10 first downs. The Horned Frogs jumped ahead 34-0 and scored on eight of their first 10 possessions. SMU turned the ball over on its first two possessions and both led to TCU touchdowns. The Mustangs ran the ball only 12 times and finished with -8 yards (-0.7 ypc). TCU finished with 498 total yards on offense.

(3) Georgia 27 ARIZONA STATE 10

Georgia completely dominated the Sun Devils as it outgained them 461-212 and held them to 14 first downs. The Bulldogs punted on their first two possessions but were able to get into Arizona St. territory on their next four possessions, scoring three touchdowns while also missing a field goal. Georgia was hurt by 12 penalties for 104 yards or things could have been even more lopsided.

(25) Fresno State 55 TOLEDO 54

Fresno St. won a wild game in double overtime despite getting outgained 598-420. The Bulldogs started the scoring as they returned a fumble for a touchdown on just the second play of the game. They held the lead throughout but Toledo was able to comeback and send the game into overtime on a field goal with 15 seconds remaining. The Rockets were very balanced with 301 yards passing and 297 yards rushing on 46 carries (6.5 ypc).

STANFORD 23 San Jose St 10

San Jose St. jumped ahead 10-0 but the Cardinal tacked on the final 23 points to win. Stanford led 16-0 with just under two minutes remaining and it was running the clock down but called timeout with nine seconds left and instead of taking a knee, it scored a final touchdown. The Cardinal outgained San Jose St. 363-219 while rushing for 204 yards on 36 carries (5.7 ypc) and holding the Spartans to 57 yards on 35 carries (1.5 ypc).

U-N-L-V 34 Iowa State 31

UNLV won its second straight overtime game and this time had to hold off a huge Iowa St. rally. UNLV took a 21-0 lead into halftime but the Cyclones came storming back by scoring four touchdowns in the second half, three on drives of 80 yards or more. The Rebels outgained Iowa St. 454-306 and forced the Cyclones to punt on all seven first half possessions, six of which were three and outs.

New Mexico St 34 TEXAS-EL PASO 33

Only six total yards separated the Aggies and Miners so it was no surprise it was a back and forth game throughout. New Mexico St. scored the go ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter and the defense stepped up, forcing a fumble at their own 24-yard line and then stopping UTEP on fourth down with less than a minute remaining. Two of the Miners touchdowns were from the defense on a fumble return and an interception return.

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