College Football Corner: Fantastic and furious finishes for the Mids and Terps

Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his ballots here. 

That thud you just heard by the shore of Lake Michigan (I’ve been told their islands and bays are for sportsmen) was Penn State’s football season completely coming undone. On an afternoon where Navy continued their fourth quarter heroics and Maryland saw another final period stumble, the Nittany Lions lost 22-21 at Northwestern. It wasn’t supposed to happen for the team from Happy Valley, Pennsylvania.

Fresh off their best season under head coach James Franklin and returning 15 starters including quarterback Drew Allar, the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 2 in the preseason (for the record, I had them No. 1), but three straight losses to start Big Ten play has all but dashed their playoff hopes. Now the overtime defeat to a top 10 Oregon can be understood, and even their loss after traveling cross country with the baggage of that loss to the Ducks can be explained (if you’re a true believer).

But a 22-21 stumble at Northwestern? These are the same Wildcats who began the season with a stumble at Tulane, for heaven’s sake. And if that wasn’t enough, Allar is done for the season after suffering an injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss. Thank goodness fellow winless Big Ten teams Rutgers and Michigan State are still on the schedule.

Saturday’s Games:

James Madison (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt) trailed at the half for the second straight week, this time to Louisiana. Unfortunately for the Rajun’ Cajuns JMU would begin the third quarter with a 62-yard pass from Alonza Barnett III to Landon Ellis. They’d connect again on a TD later in the half and the defense would post a pair of three and outs plus an interception to start the fourth quarter in a 24-14 win that keeps JMU on track to play for a conference championship.

Duke Do’s: Barnett threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, all to Ellis who finished with six catches for 120 yards. Wayne Knight carried the mail once more by rushing for 111 yards. The defense held Louisiana to 3-14 on third down as Jacob Thomas tallied five tackles plus an interception.

Duke Don’ts: JMU committed ten penalties for 102 yards. They also turned the ball over three times and avoided disaster when the Rajun’ Cajuns were unable to turn those miscues into points.

Next: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU against 4-2 Old Dominion.

Maryland (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) rallied twice from 10 points down against Nebraska as a Dontay Joyner 60-yard interception return for a touchdown gave them a 31-24 third quarter lead. Then, on their next possession, they took four minutes off the clock and looked like they were running downhill, beginning the fourth quarter with a third and two at the Cornhusker 31. Unfortunately a four-yard loss forced a punt, and Nebraska on their next two drives would move ball 83 and 81 yards to produce ten points and hand Maryland a 31-24 loss. Back-to-back stomach punch three-point losses has the team at a crossroads with a cross-country trip on the horizon.

Terrapin Triumphs: Malik Washington threw for 249 yards and a touchdown while the running game produced 130 yards behind Nolan Ray and DeJuan Williams. The defense tallied two takeaways, with Messiah Delhomme’s interception leading to a Terrapin touchdown in the first half.

Terrapin Troubles: Once again the fourth quarter looms large as this time they were outscored 10-0 in the final period, this time getting outgained 163 yards to 44. In the words of head coach Mike Locksley, missed tackles and explosive plays doomed them again. The eight penalties for 100 yards certainly didn’t help their cause.

Next: Saturday at 7 p.m. on BTN at 2-4 UCLA.

Virginia Tech (2-5, 1-2 ACC) visited No. 13 Georgia Tech and allowed points on the first three Yellow Jacket possessions on their way to a 35-20 loss. Any thoughts of “coaching change bounce” as have officially been extinguished as they enter their bye week in the underbelly of the ACC.

Hokie Highlights: Kyron Drones threw two touchdown passes to Ja’Ricous Hairston while also running for a score. George Ballance paced the defense with eight tackles. Nick Veltsistas averaged 47.8 yards per punt.

Hokie Humblings: The offense went 0-8 on third down (although they did move the chains on 3-4 fourth downs). The defense surrendered points on five of Georgia Tech’s first drives. Ten penalties for 82 yards is not going to help you win in conference play (that feels like an overarching theme this week).

Next: Friday October 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Blacksburg against 4-2 California on the ESPN.

Navy (6-0, 4-0 American) certainly is keeping fans in their seats for the full four quarters this fall. One week after needing a fumble recovery to secure a win over Air Force, the Mids rally from ten points down to nip Temple 32-31 thanks to another fantastic finish. This time Blake Horvath’s 51-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds left plus Horvath’s two-point conversion pass to Alex Tecza delivers victory. And after three straight one-possession games the Mids deserve a week off.

Midshipman Medals: Horvath ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns while also throwing for a score. MarcAnthony Parker tallied 12 tackles (the third double-digit effort in four games for the Fredericksburg, VA native). Jacob Carlson averaged 56.3 yards per punt.

Midshipman Miscues: The defense allowed 518 total yards, including pass plays of 30 and 46 yards. The offense hit a snag after scoring on their initial possession, netting 27 yards on their remaining 13 plays in the first half.

Next: October 25 at 3:30 p.m. in Annapolis against 3-3 FAU on CBSSN.