Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his ballots here.
Some days are longer than others. This past Saturday, I tried to complete a rare double play in college football coverage (forgive me for using a baseball term in a football article) by covering Navy-Tulane at noon and Maryland-Rutgers at 6 p.m. I wasn’t alone as Gene Wang of The Washington Post not only made the trek but finished ahead of me in arriving at SECU Stadium.
And even though one witnessed two defeats, it was a beautiful day and night for college football. Thanks to Ledo Pizza for providing the necessary energy early and Qdoba for keeping me in gear late. The longest part of the day actually was the two hours in my car between stadiums, as it took longer to get from Navy-Marine Corps Stadium to Route 50 than it took to get to College Park from Annapolis. I’m looking forward to my first basketball double play.
Meanwhile, there’s proof that there is progress in the college football world. During the divisional play era of 2005-23, we were often stuck hoping for “Coastal Chaos” in the ACC and a seven-way tie at 4-5 the “Big Ten Worst.” Well, in the first season of a 16-team SEC, there is an outside chance we could have a six-way tie of teams finishing 6-2 in conference play.
At the very least, Georgia, who has played all of its SEC games, will tie with somebody for second (the Texas-Texas A&M loser will have at least two league losses) while Tennessee, Alabama, and Ole Miss have relatively smooth roads to 6-2. And unlike the ACC Coastal or Big Ten West, these teams actually play watchable football. Leave it to the SEC, even while standing for Sowing Eventual Chaos.
Navy (7-3, 5-2 AAC) in their high noon showdown with No. 25 Tulane unfortunately lost quarterback Blake Horvath in the first half due to injury. Minus their pilot, the offense went underwater and the Mids were shut out for the first time since 2020 in their 35-0 loss to the Green Wave, and the defeat eliminated them from AAC championship game contention.
Midshipman Medals: Kyle Jacob led the team with 10 tackles while Colin Ramos had a sack among his seven stops. Riley Riethman averaged 44.7 yards per punt.
Midshipman Miscues: The offense managed just 113 total yards and went 0-10 on third down, while a pair of turnovers set up Tulane touchdowns. The Green Wave also began the second half with a soul-sucking, backbreaking 13-play drive covering 65 yards over 8:45.
Next: Friday, Nov. 30 at noon against 6-4 East Carolina.
Virginia (5-5, 3-3 ACC) had the daunting task of visiting a No. 8 Notre Dame that remains one loss away from kissing their College Football Playoff hopes goodbye. The Cavaliers began the game by fumbling the opening kickoff, setting up a short field for a Fighting Irish touchdown. Virginia would wrap up the first half with interceptions on their last three possessions and trail 28-0 at intermission before losing 35-14.
Cavalier Congrats: The defense held the Fighting Irish to 1-12 on third down while Jonas Sanker posted 13 tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery. Backup quarterback Tony Muskett ran for a pair of touchdowns in relief.
Cavalier Concerns: It’s tough to win on the road against a Top 10 team, let alone when you turn the ball over five times in the first half. Those miscues led to four Notre Dame touchdowns plus a missed field goal. And when they weren’t turning the ball over in the first half, the Cavaliers were busy posting three-and-outs (four of their six non-turnover possessions in the first half failed to yield one first down).
Next: Saturday, Nov. 23 at noon against No. 14 SMU (9-1).
James Madison (8-2, 4-2 Sun Belt) began their game at Old Dominion by scoring on their opening possession, but it would be the Monarchs who would finish the first half with a flourish by scoring on three of their final four possessions to take a 24-21 lead. JMU would find a second wind after intermission, scoring twice before allowing a last-minute touchdown in their 35-32 win. The victory keeps them in Sun Belt East contention, but they need to win out while getting help in the form of a Georgia Southern loss.
Duke Do’s: Alonzo Barrett III completed 69% of his passes with a touchdown and no interceptions while running for 70 yards and two scores. His top target was Yamir Knight, who made eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. The defense held ODU to 1-11 on third down and Khairi Manns led the pass rush with 2.5 sacks among his six tackles.
Duke Don’ts: The defense was far from perfect, allowing a touchdown on the Monarch’s opening drive plus points on a pair of late first-half drives. A blocked punt gave ODU the ball at the JMU three to set up a momentum-changing touchdown.
Next: Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m. on the road against 4-5 Appalachian State.
Maryland (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) started strong against Rutgers by holding the Scarlet Knights to three and outs on their first two possessions, and after missing a 44-yard field goal on their first drive took a 3-0 lead on a 48-yarder the second time they had the ball. But then the Scarlet Knights would go to work, scoring on five of their next six drives (the outlier a kneel down to end the first half) as the Terps tumble 31-17. Bowl eligibility hangs by a thread with games against Iowa and Penn State on the horizon.
Terrapin Triumphs: Roman Hemby ran for 87 yards and a touchdown while catching five passes for 59 yards, including a 32-yarder on a third down to keep Maryland’s last scoring drive alive. Daniel Wingate led the defense with seven tackles (two for a loss).
Terrapin Troubles: The defense had issues getting off the field, on one possession allowing four third-down conversions (Rutgers would convert a fourth down on the drive). The offense came up empty on four fourth-quarter possessions in Rutgers territory: twice on downs, once on an interception, and another as time expired.
Next: Saturday, Nov. 23 at noon against 6-4 Iowa.
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