Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest rankings here.
Watch enough college football and you will see just about everything. For every ho-hum rout, there’s an Appalachian State upset of a top-five Michigan at the big house. And for every season-making upset of Florida State in Tallahassee, there’s the following Saturday when the shoe is on the other foot in Annapolis.
Navy’s takedown of AAC preseason favorite Memphis wouldn’t be the biggest shocker of the day, as James Madison (two weeks removed from squeaking past GARDNER-WEBB) went into Chapel Hill and made big play after big play against previously unbeaten North Carolina. The Dukes put 53 points on the board IN THE FIRST HALF. And while it’s only September, James Madison and Navy are making their cases as teams to watch in the Sun Belt and American Athletic Conferences … until something unexpected happens to them.
Maryland (3-1) scored on its first three possessions against No. 5 in FCS Villanova, cruising to a 38-20 victory. Head Coach Mike Locksley ended his press conference with one word (sort of): “Taisman.” As in the Terps electric wide receiver who ranks second in FBS in catches (41) and third in receiving yards (604). At least the senior from Ashburn, Virginia, did not have to change the pronunciation of his name (re: Joe Theismann, Notre Dame, 1970).
Terrapin Triumphs: Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns, with his top target Tai Felton making 14 catches for 157 yards and a score. The offense converted 7-10 third downs.
Terrapin Troubles: Eight penalties for 89 yards is not sustainable when one returns to conference play. And even though they had a double-digit lead for the final 50 minutes of regulation, allowing 20 second half points is less than ideal. But over the last few seasons the D earns an A in the second half once conference play comes.
Next: Saturday at 4-0 Indiana on the Big Ten Network with a high noon kickoff.
Virginia (3-1) bounced back from their loss to Maryland in fine fashion, turning a pair of first quarter turnovers by Coastal Carolina into touchdowns. The offense would get in gear as well, scoring on all three second quarter possessions on the way to a 43-24 triumph. That’s two road wins in September after managing just a pair of road W’s the previous two seasons.
Cavalier Congrats: The offense pounded out 384 yards rushing while holding the ball for 37+ minutes. Xavier Brown (171 yards on nine carries) had the hot hand, or hot feet as it were. Anthony Colandrea threw two touchdown passes while directing a turnover-free offense. Antonio Clary led the defense with eight tackles and an interception. Eli Wood recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff to set the tone for the afternoon.
Cavalier Concerns: The defense wasn’t immune to big plays, coughing up completions of 41, 58 and 65 yards. Seven penalties for 75 yards isn’t the stuff you write home about either, but it’s tough to find blemishes in a double-digit road win.
Next: Oct. 5 at home against 3-1 Boston College, a school sniffing the rankings this fall.
Navy (3-0, 2-0 AAC) after a week off showed no signs of rust offensively in their 56-44 win over previously unbeaten Memphis. As is often the case in a high-scoring affair, it’s a defensive play that makes the difference and the Mids had two in the fourth quarter: Anthony Duhart’s deflection of a fourth-down pass in the end zone and Rayuan Lane III’s 86-yard return of an interception for a touchdown that produced the final score.
Midshipman Medals: Blake Horvath threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns while running for 211 yards and four scores. He also caught a 13-yard pass from running back Alex Tecza. We don’t know if Blake can sing or dance, however. Colin Ramos paced the defense with 20 tackles, an FBS-high so far this fall.
Midshipman Miscues: So it may not have been the best day for the defense, surrendering 659 yards while the Tigers converted 12-19 third downs. The offense for all of its success went just 3-6 on third down, leading to the team having the ball for just 2:44 in the fourth quarter as Memphis was making its comeback.
Next: Saturday at noon on the road against 1-2 UAB on ESPN2.
Virginia Tech (2-2) started slowly against a Rutgers team that was coming off its bye week before rallying with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to tie up the Scarlet Knights. Unfortunately, the only home cooking at Lane Stadium would be those delicious smoked turkey legs as the visitors drove 68 yards over five plays for the go-ahead field goal. They would secure the game with an interception of Kyron Drones three plays later as the Hokies fall 26-23.
Hokie Highlights: Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Simply put, they cannot get him the ball enough. Mose Phillips III paced the defense with 11 tackles. Peter Moore averaged 42.7 yards per punt.
Hokie Humblings: Drones completed under 50% of his passes while tossing an interception. The defense surrendered 25 first downs and allowed the Scarlet Knights to hold the ball for over 39 minutes. Jaylin Lane fumbled a punt return at the Tech 31 to set up Rutgers’ first touchdown of the afternoon.
Next: Friday night at No. 8 Miami (3-0) under the ESPN lights at 7:30 p.m.
James Madison (3-0) kicked a field goal on its first drive against then-unbeaten North Carolina but still trailed 14-11 with six minutes left in the first quarter. Then they tallied two quick touchdowns to take a 25-21 lead … before the onslaught happened. The Dukes delivered four more TD’s before halftime on their way to a 70-50 drubbing that resembled UNC-JMU hoops more than a football affair. Curt who?
Duke Do’s: Alonzo Barrett III threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns while running for 99 yards and two more scores. The defense held UNC to 2-9 on third down and tallied five takeaways. Terrence Spence blocked a punt that led to JMU’s first touchdown of the day and tallied a pair of interceptions, returning one 33 yards for a TD.
Duke Don’ts: FIFTY POINTS?! Even though they won by 20, letting the other team reach the half-century while gaining 616 yards is far from awesome. The twelve penalties for 105 yards was another blemish on what was an outstanding afternoon.
Next: Saturday in Harrisonburg against 1-2 Ball State at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
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