What a wild weekend in NCAA Football. Here is a recap of the biggest news and notes:
Old Dominion Stuns Virginia Tech
Old Dominion stunned 13th ranked Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon with a 49-35 victory. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and Virginia Tech made the surprising decision to travel to Old Dominion for this game. Old Dominion restarted their football program in 2009 after shutting it down for several decades. The Monarchs were a 28.5 point underdog in this game and were starting a backup quarterback, making the victory even more improbable.
Virginia Tech came into this game undefeated after already knocking off Florida State rival earlier this season. Old Dominion quarterback Blake Larussa came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and one touchdown to lead the Monarchs to the huge upset. To make matters worse for Virginia Tech, quarterback Josh Jackson suffered an injury in the loss and his status going forward was not known immediately following the game.
Alabama Rolls, Saban Wants Criticism
The Alabama Crimson Tide blew out Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon, but after the game coach Nick Saban asked the media to write about their flaws. Finding flaws in the Alabama team are getting harder to find at this point. The top-ranked Crimson Tide dominated 22nd ranked Texas A&M with a decisive 45-23 SEC victory on Saturday. With the victory, Alabama moved to 4-0 on the season and have outscored their opponents by an average of 41 points per game. Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. He also ran for a touchdown to continue his march towards the Heisman Trophy this season.
Nebraska Hits Rock Bottom
The Nebraska Cornhuskers were supposed to be much improved this season under new head coach Scott Frost, but are off to an 0-3 start this season. The Huskers were embarrassed by Michigan, 56-10 in their Big Ten opener on Saturday afternoon at the Big House. The 0-3 start for Nebraska is their worst start since the 1945 season. Nebraska trailed the Wolverines 39-0 heading into halftime which was the worst halftime deficit in school history. Frost led the Huskers to a National Championship as a quarterback for them, but has not found the same success as head coach. Nebraska will host the Purdue Boilermakers (1-3) next weekend at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Urban Meyer Returns For Ohio State
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer returned from his three-game suspension on Saturday afternoon in the Buckeyes 49-6 thrashing of Tulane. Meyer was given a three-game suspension due to his role in the Zach Smith domestic violence case. Meyer failed to disclose information to the university, and the school voted to give him a three game suspension.
The Buckeyes were able to win the first three games of the season with interim coach Ryan Day leading the way. Meyer was applauded by the Ohio State faithful throughout the game on Saturday afternoon as Buckeyes fans showed their support.
The Buckeyes offense put on a show in the first half of the game against Tulane. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins completed 21-24 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half, in the Buckeyes win. Ohio State will travel to Penn State next weekend to take on the number 10 ranked Nittany Lions.
Oklahoma Survives OT Scare From Army
The University of Oklahoma was able to survive a huge scare from Army on Saturday afternoon in Norman. Oklahoma was able to earn a 28-21 overtime victory over the Army Knights to keep their undefeated season alive. CeeDee Lamb hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray in overtime to give the number-5 ranked Sooners the overtime victory.
Army’s chance to tie the game ended when Parnell Motley intercepted a pass thrown by Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins on fourth down. The Sooners explosive offense was held in check throughout the game as the Army offense chewed up clock with their running attack. Army ran more than twice as many plays as the Sooners in this game, and they had the ball for over 44 minutes in this game. Heisman hopeful Kyler Murray threw for just 165 yards, but did throw for three touchdowns in the victory.
