College Football Week 10 Recap

Three teams from Indiana played this week, and had mixed results. IU, Notre Dame, and Purdue all saw action this weekend with varying results. The Irish continued to roll on, the Hoosiers season was ended, and Purdue might want to consider shutting down the program for the rest of the season.

Winners

Notre Dame Rallied to Defeat Navy

Nov 2, 2013; South Bend, IN, USA; Navy Midshipmen wide receiver Shawn Lynch (87) is tackled by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith (9) and cornerback Bennett Jackson (2) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 38-34. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The Irish needed a big second half to overcome the Midshipmen in the 38-34. They trailed by three at halftime, and outscored Navy 21-14 in the second half. They gave up 331 yards rushing to Navy and hurt themselves with five penalties for 55 yards.

Tommy Rees’ streak of good games also came to a close. He was 12-for-20 for 242 yards and two touchdown, but he also threw a pair of interceptions. TJ Jones continues to be his favorite target, catching four passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.

The Irish were dominant on the ground, rushing for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Tarean Folston had 11 carries for 140 yards and a TD. George Atkinson and Cam McDaniel also found the end zone.

The defense showed up late in the game and finally stopped the triple option on 4th-and-4. They had a rough day, failing to force a turnover and giving up over 400 yards, but the one big play saved the game.

The Irish are 7-2 with three games left. They’re currently ranked 23rd in the BCS standings and have a shot at a BCS game, especially if they pull off the upset against No. 5 Stanford at the end of the season.

Up next, the Irish will be at Pittsburgh.

Losers

Indiana Fumbles Game Away Against Minnesota

Nov 2, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman (6) fumbles a lateral at the while being tackled by Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Brock Vereen (21) in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Memorial Stadium. Minnesota won 42-39. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Hoosiers found a new way to lose Saturday. IU fumbled at the goal line to lose 42-39. Even had IU failed on three attempts, they would have been able to tie the game up and send it to overtime (maybe). The Hoosiers did overcome a 28-13 halftime deficit, but it didn’t matter.

The Hoosiers defense gave up 573 yards to the Gophers, including three scoring plays that were over 25 yards. This D is critically bad, and I still have no clue how Doug Mallory still has a job. The staff needs a big shake up at the end of the season.

Tre Roberson was ineffective in the first half, completing just 8-of-18 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Nate Sudfeld relieved him and went 13-for-20 for 189 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Tevin Coleman and Stephen Houston both had over 100 yards rushing and each found the end zone once. Receivers Shane Wynn, Kofi Hughes, and Cody Latimer all had catches for touchdowns.

Most importantly, this loss likely ends the Hoosiers hopes at a bowl game. At 3-5, the Hoosiers have to win three of their final four games to become bowl eligible. They have two games on the road, Wisconsin and Ohio State. Think they’ll win either one? Me neither. The defense is critically bad and there is little chance they’ll be able to stop those teams enough times to pull off an upset.

IU will host Illinois this weekend, if they lose, it will be truly embarrassing.

Purdue Fails at Football Against No. 4 Ohio State

Nov 2, 2013; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Chris Fields (80) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross Ade Stadium. Ohio State defeats Purdue 56-0. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Boilermakers lost 56-0. They managed just 116 yards of offense. Purdue turned the ball over twice, averaged one yard per carry, and was 2-for-12 on third down. It was the most lopsided loss in the history of the Purdue-Ohio State series.

Danny Etling was 13-of-29 for 89 yards and an interception. That’s an average of just 3.1 yards per attempt. Etling has very few options downfield, little protection (sacked six times), and no run game to ease the pressure. The Boilermakers longest drive of the day was just 31 yards and they had the ball just four times in the second half.

Purdue’s day was over after the Buckeyes scored 28 points in the first quarter alone. OSU had 345 yards rushing and 640 total yards of offense. OSU scored three touchdowns on just 10 plays, and returned Etling’s second pass of the game to the end zone.

Purdue hasn’t scored since October 12th. This quote from ESPN sums up Saturday’s game nicely, “It was over when… The Buckeyes safely navigated their way to Ross-Ade Stadium.” Purdue is now 1-7 and unlikely to win a game the rest of the season.

The Boilermakers will host Iowa next week.

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