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.
East Carolina 28, Army 6
East Carolina scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions amassing 216 yards in the first quarter and was never threatened. The Pirates outgained Army 431-290 and the Black Knights were hurt by turning it over on downs and fumbling inside the East Carolina 30-yard line on their second and third possessions. The Pirates did struggle after that first quarter as they went through a stretch of four straight possessions that resulted in an interception, a fumble and a pair of fourth down misses.
Virginia 46, Florida State 38
Virginia punted on its first two possessions but then jumped ahead 14-0 after forcing a pair of turnovers and converting both into touchdowns. The Seminoles responded with three straight touchdowns, the second and third following Cavaliers interceptions. It was back and forth the rest of the way before Virginia prevailed in double overtime, stopping Florida St. with a fourth down interception. The Seminoles outgained Virginia 514-440 but had four turnovers and a missed field goal.
Arizona State 27, TCU 24
TCU jumped out to a 17-0 lead with scores on its next three possessions as it took advantage of a missed field goal and a turnover on downs. The Sun Devils responded with a pair of touchdowns and while they got inside the Horned Frogs 26-yard line on their next four possessions, they came away with only three points as there was a fumble, a missed field goal and a turnover on downs. The game winning field goal came after a TCU fumble at the 15-yard line.
Houston 27, Oregon State 24
Houston spotted Oregon St. a 14-0 lead and also trailed 24-10 last in the fourth quarter but scored with 5:59 remaining, forced a three and out and went 64 yards in 51 seconds to force overtime. The Cougars stopped Oregon St. on fourth down before kicking the game winning field goal. The Beavers outgained Houston 390-352 but they ran 16 more plays and were outgained 5.3 to 4.8 yppl. The defense did hold the Cougars to 82 yards rushing on 30 carries (2.7 ypc).
Kansas State 34, UCF 20
After a scoreless first quarter, Kansas St. struck first with a field goal then picked off a pass and went 26 yards to go up 10-0 and never trailed in the game. The Wildcats opened a 21-point lead late in the third quarter and coasted the rest of the way. Kansas St. outgained the Knights 434-402 but ran 11 fewer plays and was outgained 6.8 to 6.2 yppl. Central Florida committed three turnovers while going 3-14 on third and fourth down while Kansas St. committed only two penalties.
Ohio 35, Bowling Green 20
Ohio picked off a pass four plays into the game and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown but Bowling Green responded with a 75-yard drive to tie the game. The Bobcats then went 75 yards on their next possession and never relinquished the lead. Ohio outgained the Falcons 439-350 and 6.9 to 5.4 yppl and it was a balanced offensive attack with 231 yards rushing and 208 yards passing. Bowling Green finished with four turnovers that led to 14 Ohio points.
North Texas 36, South Alabama 22
South Alabama took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards on 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead but North Texas scored 21 unanswered points. The Jaguars did cut it to six points midway through the fourth quarter but the Mean Green sealed it with a late touchdown. North Texas won the yardage battle 429-396 on 15 fewer plays and outgained the Jaguars 6.6 to 5.0 yppl but was just 4-13 on third down. South Alabama hurt itself with eight penalties for 80 yards while turning it over on downs twice.
Illinois 34, USC 32
Illinois forced a fumble at its own 30-yard line and then went 70 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead and did not trail until 1:55 remaining when USC went 80 yards to take a 32-31 lead. The Illini then went 51 yards in eight plays and kicked the game winning 41-yard field goal as time expired. Illinois outgained the Trojans 502-490 on 15 fewer plays and it won the yppl 8.1 to 6.4. All eight total touchdown drives were 66 yards or more and each team punted only once.
Minnesota 31, Rutgers 28
Rutgers had a field goal blocked on its opening possession but forced a pair of punts and found the endzone both times to take a 14-0 lead. Minnesota was able to tie up as it went 81 yards on three plays and then picked off a pass three plays later and needed only an eight-yard drive to tie it up. The Scarlet Knights missed a 56-yard field goal to tie it up with 17 seconds left. Rutgers won the yardage battle 387-359 but ran 17 more plays and was outgained 6.1 to 5.1 yppl.
Louisville 34, Pitt 27
The Pittsburgh offense started the scoring to take a 10-0 lead and then the defense returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown for a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Louisville was able to tie it up before the Panthers took a 10-point lead into halftime before it was all Cardinals defense in the second half with three interceptions and two stops on fourth down in the last five Pittsburgh possessions. The Cardinals won the time of possession by nearly 20 minutes.
Duke 38, Syracuse 3
Duke and Syracuse traded first quarter field goals until the Blue Devils dominated the rest of the way. Duke outgained the Orange 503-314 and 7.7 to 4.9 yppl as it was very balanced on offense with 235 yards rushing and 268 yards passing. Syracuse got into Duke territory on three of its first four possessions but committed two turnovers and came away with just that one field goal. The Orange lost the turnover battle 3-0 and crossed midfield only twice in their final seven possessions.
Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 29
Georgia Tech started the scoring with a field goal before Wake Forest ran off 20 straight points but the game was tied at 20-20 and then again at 23-23 when the Yellow Jackets tied it up with two seconds remaining. Georgia Tech took a touchdown lead in overtime and Wake Forest scored on its first play with a 25-yard run but failed on its two-point conversion attempt. Wake Forest outgained the Yellow Jackets by 32 yards on 14 fewer plays and had the yppl advantage 6.2 to 4.8.
Cincinnati 37, Kansas 34
This was never more than a one possession game either way and while Kansas took the early 7-0 lead, it did not take the lead again until 1:45 remaining in the game when it went 85 yards in 6:17 to take a 34-30 lead. The Bearcats then went 75 yards on 10 plays in 1:16 for the game winning touchdown. Cincinnati won the offensive battle 603-597 but the Jayhawks ran 26 fewer plays and outgained Cincinnati 10.9 to 7.4 yppl as they completed 15.9 yards per pass attempt.
Notre Dame 56, Arkansas 13
The home blowout loss cost head coach Sam Pittman his job as a 14-10 lead for Notre Dame early in the second quarter turned into a 42-13 lead at halftime. The Irish racked up 641 yards of offense on 72 plays (8.9 yppl) and it scored a touchdown on eight of their first nine possessions with a turnover on downs being the only blemish. The Razorbacks had the ball only three times in the second half as they turned it over on downs twice and threw an interception.
Vanderbilt 55, Utah State 35
It was a game for a while as Utah St. took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter following consecutive 75-yard drives and then the Commodores took over with a 41-7 run up to the end of the third quarter. The Aggies got a pair of meaningless touchdowns that accounted for 147 of their 393 total yards. Vanderbilt put up 543 yards on 8.4 yppl and after a three and out on its opening drive, it scored on each of its eight possessions before taking the foot off the gas.
Central Michigan 24, Eastern Michigan 13
Central Michigan took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and while Eastern Michigan made it a one possession game early in the third quarter, the Chippewas dominated the time of possession the rest of the way. The Eagles had only three possessions after that third quarter score and had the ball for just over seven minutes. Central Michigan outgained the Eagles 445-298 on 13 more plays and it put up 305 yards rushing on 51 carries (6.0 ypc) but went just 4-13 on third down.
James Madison 35, Georgia Southern 10
It was all James Madison early as it jumped out to a 21-3 lead at halftime before tacking on two third quarter touchdowns to pull away. The Dukes outgained Georgia Southern 479-192 and 6.4 to 3.8 yppl with 75 of the Eagles yards coming on their late touchdown while finishing with only 10 first downs. James Madison had the ball for nearly 12 more minutes and it finished 8-13 on third down while the defense forced eight punts that included three and outs on six of those.