It was another busy week of College Football. Here is the latest:
Nebraska Loses Scott Frost’s Debut
The Nebraska Cornhuskers were defeated by the University of Colorado, 33-28, in the highly anticipated debut of new head coach Scott Frost. Frost was named head coach at his alma mater after leading University of Central Florida to an undefeated season in 2017. Frost was the quarterback of a National Championship Nebraska team in 1997. Nebraska also lost their starting quarterback in the game on Saturday.
With Nebraska leading the game, 28-27, quarterback Adrian Martinez was injured during a run in the fourth quarter of the game. After Colorado took a 33-28 lead the Huskers had to turn to walk-on quarterback Andrew Brunch for the final drive of the game. The Huskers comeback attempt fell short leading to a very disappointing season opening home loss. Nebraska had last week’s game cancelled due to severe weather.
Kentucky Ends Long Losing Streak to Florida
The University of Kentucky ended one of the longest losing streaks in college football with an upset win at Florida on Saturday night. Kentucky defeated the number 25 ranked Florida Gators by a score of 27-16 at the Swamp. The victory marked the first time that Kentucky has beaten Florida since the 1986 season. It was the Wildcats first win in Gainesville, Florida since 1979.
The victory snapped the fourth-longest losing streak to one opponent in NCAA history. Kentucky had lost to the Florida Gators in 31-straight contests. Florida narrowly escaped Kentucky in three of the last four seasons, winning by six points or less in those contests. Florida lost their SEC opener for the first time since the 2004 season, snapping a 13-year streak that was the longest in school history.
Kansas Snaps Long Road Losing Streak
The Kansas Jayhawks routed the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday to snap the second-longest road losing streak in college football history. Kansas used a strong second half to defeat Central Michigan by a score of 31-7. The victory snapped the 46-game road losing streak that has spanned over a decade. Kansas last won a road game on September 12, 2009 when they defeated UTEP by a score of 34-7.
The only team that had a longer losing streak than Kansas was Idaho State who lost 48 straight road games before winning in 2014. Kansas will host Rutgers University on September 15 with a chance to win their second consecutive game.
Miami Unveils New Turnover Chain
The Miami Hurricanes football team brought back the turnover chain in their victory over Savannah State on Saturday night. The new chain weighs over seven pounds and features a very different design than the one used last season. Miami’s mascot, Sebastian the Ibis, is prominently featured on the blinged out gold chain.
Trajan Bandy was the first player to receive the chain after recovering a fumble in the second quarter of the victory. Bandy was given the chain by Malek Young, who was the first person to wear the chain last season. Young is no longer able to play football after suffering a career-ending neck injury last season during Miami’s bowl game against Wisconsin. Bandy took Young’s starting spot on the Miami’s defensive unit.
Clemson, Alabama Continue Using Two QB’s
Alabama and Clemson are the top two teams in college football, and they are both utilizing two quarterbacks in the latter part of the season. Tua Tagovailoa has taken over the starting job at Alabama, replacing Jalen Hurts who went 26-2 as a starter.
Head coach Nick Saban announced that the team will continue to use Hurts in special packages as the season moves on. Hurts has hinted at sitting out this season in order to redshirt and save his final year of eligibility, but was on the field on Saturday night. Clemson also used two quarterbacks in their close victory over Texas A&M under the lights. Kelly Bryant remains the starter for Dabo Swinney’s squad, but freshman Trevor Lawrence continues to impress. Bryant and Lawrence combined to throw three touchdowns in the victory for number two ranked Clemson on Saturday night. The two players traded series for much of the night, but Bryant began and ended the night under center. Both Clemson and Alabama are expected to reach the College Football Playoffs for a fourth straight season.
