Fournette losing grip on Heisman Trophy
Three weeks ago, Leonard Fournette had the Heisman Trophy in his grasp. The Louisiana State sophomore was a lock to win college football's most prestigious award, as much a certainty as Donald Trump saying something outrageous at his next campaign stop.
Three weeks ago, Leonard Fournette had the Heisman Trophy in his grasp. The Louisiana State sophomore was a lock to win college football's most prestigious award, as much a certainty as Donald Trump saying something outrageous at his next campaign stop.
But then, the season continued.
After a first half that saw him rush for more than 200 yards in three consecutive games, Fournette has been unable to find the holes. He gained just 31 yards on 19 carries in the marquee Nov. 7 matchup against Alabama - a 30-14 loss - and managed 91 yards in last week's loss to Arkansas.
Fournette has gone from Heisman favorite to now chasing Alabama's Derrick Henry, who is currently at 2-3 odds to win, according to Bovada in Las Vegas. Fournette and Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott are at 9-2.
The LSU offensive line has not performed at the level that it had attained when the Tigers were 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff standings. In the last two weeks, Fournette has averaged 3.2 yards per carry.
"Offense is different from defense," offensive tackle Vadal Alexander said in an Associated Press story. "If one guy doesn't do his job, the play won't work. A guy who is supposed to make a block doesn't, and his guy makes the tackle."
The back-to-back losses - only the third time in Les Miles' 11 seasons that such a slide has happened - has eliminated the Tigers from the Southeastern Conference title chase and from College Football Playoff contention. But Fournette can still bounce back, starting Saturday against Mississippi.
Sooner doubters?
Oklahoma has won five straight games by a combined score of 276-84 while averaging 618 yards of total offense during the stretch. The Sooners handed Baylor its first loss last week and were expected to rocket up the College Football Playoff rankings.
Oklahoma did move up, but only to No. 7. That 24-17 loss to Texas on Oct. 10 still jumps out from its resumé in bright red letters, and it's still a sense of concern for the selection committee.
"Certainly if they had won that game, they might be ranked differently," committee chairman Jeff Long said. "We try not to speculate, but certainly we're aware of that loss. It factors into the rankings of Oklahoma and will continue to be part of their resumé. It doesn't go away."
There was a bit of kerfuffle in SEC territory regarding Florida. The Gators' only loss was to then-No. 6 LSU, 35-28. Even though the Tigers have slumped recently, Florida continues to have a "better" loss than Oklahoma, not to mention a tougher schedule.
But if the Sooners win Saturday over Texas Christian, and the following week over Oklahoma State, the Texas loss will be all but forgotten.
Playing at the park
For us, one of the coolest moments of Penn State's 2014 season was watching a football game at Yankee Stadium. Never mind that it wasn't the old Yankee Stadium, site of the iconic 1958 NFL championship game and other historic moments. It still was memorable.
Notre Dame and Boston College get a chance to play Saturday night in Fenway Park - the Fenway Park. It's the first football game to be played there since Dec. 1, 1968, when the Boston Patriots closed out their home schedule there against Cincinnati.
The Eagles, coached by former Temple head man Steve Addazio, have played 103 games at Fenway, the last one in 1956. But the Eagles only received the customary 5,000 tickets allotted to the visiting team; this is Notre Dame's home game.
Because of space issues, both teams will stand on the same sideline, in the Fenway outfield. BC will enter the ballpark through the left-field wall, and the Fighting Irish will emerge from the first-base dugout.
Cougar respect
Don't look now, but Washington State has emerged as one of the surprise teams in the country. The Cougars' 31-27 victory last week over UCLA, which came on a touchdown with three seconds to play, secured the team's first winning season since 2003 and first ranking (No. 14) since 2006. The Cougars have succeeded in Mike Leach's "Air Raid" offense, and quarterback Luke Falk has thrown for 4,067 yards and a team-record 35 touchdowns.
It's been great for senior safety Taylor Taliulu, who had been a part of three losing seasons before this one.
"It's like a total 360, all the hard work, I'm happy to see it paying off now," he said in an Associated Press story.
The graduate
It's no secret that coaches have succeeded in college football with graduate students who transfer in from another school to utilize their final year of eligibility. That's true this season in Pittsburgh, where Nathan Peterman (formerly of Tennessee) has led the Panthers to their best record since 2010. Peterman cited the case of Russell Wilson, who used the opportunity to go from North Carolina State to Wisconsin for his final season to become a third-round pick in the NFL draft and a star in Seattle.
"To come here was just an unbelievable opportunity, and I can't be thankful enough for it," Peterman told the AP.
Expatriate of the week
Defensive tackle Ray Ellis, who starred at Holy Spirit High School, will get to play at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - a.k.a. The Swamp - when Florida Atlantic takes on No. 8 Florida. Ellis, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound sophomore, has participated in all 10 games - with five starts - for the Owls this season. He has 23 tackles playing in FAU's rotation on the defensive line. In his senior season at Holy Spirit, Ellis had 33 tackles for loss.
Star watch
Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy at Tulsa
Reynolds made history last week against Southern Methodist, scoring four times to shatter the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns. Reynolds scored his 78th on Navy's first drive of the game, breaking the mark of 77 touchdowns held by Wisconsin running back Montee Ball. He finished the day with 81 rushing TDs for his career, leading the Midshipmen to a 55-14 victory.
Saturday's best
North Carolina at Virginia Tech, noon, ESPN: The Tar Heels are ready to roll right into the ACC championship game with a win or a Pittsburgh loss. But the Hokies will be fired up to win one for coach Frank Beamer, who will be coaching his final home game, and to become bowl-eligible.
Michigan State at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., 6ABC: The magic number for the Buckeyes is three, as in three more wins giving them a chance to defend their national championship. The Spartans are playing an elimination game - win and they're still in contention for the Big Ten title game, lose and wave bye-bye.
Baylor at Oklahoma State, 7:30 p.m., Fox29: The Cowboys need a win here and then at home over Oklahoma next week to punch a like ticket to the playoff. The Bears need to get their offense cranked up to maximum efficiency to stay in contention for the Big 12 title and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Texas Christian at Oklahoma, 8 p.m., 6ABC: It's all on the line for the Sooners, who could sneak into the College Football Playoff with wins over the Horned Frogs and next week at Oklahoma State. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, who has faded from Heisman Trophy consideration, is questionable with an ankle injury.
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