Fargo looks past the top line scores and goes deep into the box scores to get a better picture of what really happened for all of the FBS games the past weekend.
Rice 28, Charlotte 17
Charlotte had four scoring drives in the first half but all resulted in field goal attempts with three of those being made. The 49ers had a 9-7 lead but Rice went 75 yards in just over one minute to take a 14-point lead at halftime and then pulled away with a pair of touchdowns in the second half before Charlotte tacked on a late meaningless touchdown. Rice only outgained Charlotte 353-334 but ran 18 fewer plays and outgained them 6.1 to 4.4 yppl while the Owls had six sacks to the 49ers zero.
Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12
Oklahoma St. struck first with a field goal on the first possession of the game but then Tulsa ran off 19 unanswered points heading into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys cut the lead to 10 points early in the fourth quarter and while they then forced three straight punts after that, they could only manage a field goal out of it. Oklahoma St. was outgained by only 24 yards and the yppl was dead even at 5.4 but the Cowboys were 5-19 on third and fourth down while Tulsa was 10-22.
Iowa 38, Rutgers 28
Iowa returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown but Rutgers went 75 yards in six plays to tie the game, forced a punt and then went 63 yards to take a touchdown lead. The Hawkeyes took the lead for good following an 80-yard drive late in the fourth quarter and then picked off a pass to set up their final touchdown. Rutgers outgained Iowa 400-346 but ran 14 more plays and went 4-6 inside the redzone. The Hawkeyes held the Scarlet Knights to 70 yards rushing on 30 carries (2.3 ypc).
Syracuse 34, Clemson 21
The Orange took their opening possession 75 yards in seven plays to take a 7-0 lead and recovered an onsides kick that led to a field goal for a 10-0 lead before Clemson even touched the ball. They never gave up that lead as they were up 24-14 at halftime and following a weather delay, Syracuse added on 10 more points to pull away. Clemson outgained the Orange 503-433 but lost the turnover battle 2-0 including a fumble deep in their own territory while going 1-4 on fourth down.
Louisville 40, Bowling Green 17
Bowling Green took the 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter and then Louisville took over with 33 consecutive points, scoring on seven of its next nine possessions. The problem was four of those were field goals as the Cardinals finished 4-11 on third down. They outgained the Falcons 439-321 and while they had success through the air, they were on the wrong side of the running game as they rushed for 126 yards on 29 carries (4.3 ypc) while the Falcons ran for 190 yards on 29 carries (6.6 ypc).
North Texas 45, Army 38
It looked like the rout was on as North Texas took a 28-7 lead as it turned three Army turnovers into 21 points on three drives that accumulated just 72 total yards. Army was able to chip away at the lead the remainder of the game and it got it down to three points late in the fourth quarter and recovered a fumble but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal and eventually lost in overtime. The yards and yppl were right in line with each other as the but those early turnovers were the difference.
Texas Tech 34, Utah 10
Texas Tech forced a three and out to open the game and went 85 yards in seven plays to jump ahead 7-0 and the defense did not let up, forcing three turnovers, a turnover on downs and two punts over the next six possessions before Utah kicked a field goal right before halftime. The Red Raiders broke it open as they scored touchdowns on all three fourth quarter possessions and overall, outgained the Utes 484-263 and 6.7 to 3.8 yppl but were guilty with 14 penalties for 122 yards.
TCU 35, SMU 24
TCU struck first midway through the first quarter with a 67-yard touchdown drive and did not relinquish the lead until the fourth quarter when the Mustangs went 65 yards in nine plays for a touchdown to take a 28-24 lead but the Horned Frogs scored three plays later on a 70-yard touchdown pass and added on another late score. TCU outgained the Mustangs 517-384 while going 12-21 on third and fourth down but let SMU hang around with poor second and third quarter production.
UNLV 41, Miami (Ohio) 38
Miami Ohio backers will not forget this game for a long time (raising my hand) as the RedHawks jumped ahead 14-0 and had two other 14-point leads including a 38-24 lead early in the fourth quarter and then the wheels fell off. UNLV got to within seven, forced a three and out and tied the game four minutes later. The RedHawks were in scoring position but fumbled and the Rebels went 78 yards in 2:08 for the winning field goal. Miami outgained UNLV 7.5 to 6.0 yppl but ran 33 fewer plays.
Maryland 27, Wisconsin 10
The Terrapins punted on their first possession but picked off a Wisconsin pass six plays later and returned it to the four-yard line and scored two plays after that. They went up 20-0 as the Badgers could get nothing going as eight first half possessions resulted in that interception, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs and five punts, those final seven drives netting just 100 yards. Maryland won the yards by just 30 but ran 20 fewer plays and outgained Wisconsin 5.7 to 3.8 yppl.
Memphis 32, Arkansas 31
Arkansas scored three plays into the game on a 62-yard touchdown pass but Memphis got three of those points back and then turned an interception into a touchdown drive to take the lead. The Razorbacks then scored 21 unanswered points before the Tigers went on a 22-3 run and forced a fumble with 1:18 left on their own seven-yard line to secure the win. Arkansas snuck out the total yardage battle 500-489 but Memphis outrushed the Razorbacks 290-175 (7.1-5.5 ypc).
Tennessee 56, UAB 24
It was all Tennessee as the Volunteers jumped out to a 42-7 halftime lead as they scored on six of seven possessions and they took the pedal off the gas after scoring early in the third quarter and then recovering a fumble for another touchdown. Tennessee racked up 510 yards, 406 in the first half, with a balanced attack of 235 yards rushing and 275 yards passing. UAB gained 184 of its 394 total yards on three possessions in garbage time and committed 13 penalties for 110 yards.
Oregon 41, Oregon State 7
The Ducks went 75 yards on the opening kickoff to take a 7-0 lead but turned it over on downs on its next possession and Oregon St. went on a 64-yard, 13 play drive that took 7:40 to tie the game and then it was all Oregon. Following that drive, the Beavers had only 75 yards the rest of the game and failed to cross midfield. Oregon put up 585 yards (280 rushing and 305 passing), all but 53 yards in the first three quarters and had close to a 14-minute advantage in time of possession.
UCF 34, North Carolina 9
Central Florida has now won 16 consecutive games under head coach Scott Frost as it was all Knights in this one. They took the opening possession 75 yards in 13 plays in 6:37 for a touchdown and never looked back. They intercepted a North Carolina pass four plays later and turned it into a field goal and they ended up scoring in six of their eight overall possessions. North Carolina went 80 yards in its lone touchdown drive when the score was 27-3 and amassed only 217 total yards for the game.
Notre Dame 56, Purdue 30
Notre Dame forced a three and out on the first Purdue possession and then struck on a 66-yard touchdown pass on its first offensive play. The Irish scored touchdowns on their first four possessions but Purdue stayed within reach as they kicked a field goal, recovered a fumble and kicked another field goal to make it 28-16 but Notre Dame returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. The Irish outgained Purdue 535-379 (254 rushing, 281 passing) while averaging 8.5 yppl.
Ole Miss 45, Tulane 10
The Rebels took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead and did not let up, scoring on 10 of 12 possessions. Mississippi allowed a 59-yard drive midway through the second quarter which resulted in a field goal and while Tulane crossed midfield on its first three second half possessions, it was stopped on fourth down in all three. The Rebels outgained Tulane 548-282 and 7.9 to 4.1 yppl with 65 of the Green Wave total yards coming on a touchdown drive in garbage time.
Western Michigan 14, Toledo 13
After a scoreless first quarter, Toledo recovered a muffed punt at the Western Michigan 12-yard line with one minute left before halftime but had to settle for a field goal. The Rockets eventually took a 13-0 lead before Western Michigan finally scored a touchdown late in the third quarter and following a Toledo punt, it went 48 yards in 48 seconds with 52 seconds remaining for the winning score. The offenses were nonexistent as Western Michigan won the yards 291-280 and yppl 4.2 to 3.9.