Halloween Weekend: Spooky-Good College Football

Texas Tech students came to the showdown with #1 Texas decked out in Halloween costumes (Photos: ESPN.com).

Halloween may have come and gone, but there were plenty of tricks and treats in a Saturday full of college football action.

It all began with a fantastic finish in Minneapolis. Northwestern’s Brendan Smith received a treat from Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber with the score knotted at 17 late in the fourth quarter. Weber’s pass deflected off receiver Eric Decker’s hands and dropped into the open arms of Smith. Smith returned the interception 48 yards for the winning score with just 12 seconds remaining.

Purdue had its share of tricks against Michigan that led to the Boilermakers’ first conference win of the season. First, they converted a fake punt into a crucial first down midway through the fourth quarter. Then it was Justin Siller to Greg Orton to Desmond Tardy on a perfectly-executed hook-and-ladder play with 26 seconds left, providing the winning points in a 48-42 win. The Wolverines were ensured a losing season for the first time in 33 years, ending the nation’s longest current streak of consecutive bowl seasons.

Michigan State and Wisconsin brought some treats for each other in another game that went down to the wire. While the 21st-ranked Spartans spoiled the Badger defense with seven dropped passes, it was the Wisconsin coaching staff that offered the biggest gift. They called a timeout with 12 seconds on the clock to ‘ice’ Michigan State’s kicker instead of making the Spartan special teams crew rush onto the field to attempt a ‘May Day’ field goal. This allowed plenty of time for kicker Brett Swenson to relax and prepare for his game-winning field goal that capped the Spartan comeback in a 25-24 victory.

Were those sprinklers a trick at Notre Dame Stadium? Nope, just poor timing by the maintenance crew. Sprinklers on the football field suddenly turned on during the first of four overtimes between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. The Panthers prevailed 36-33 in the longest game in the history of both schools.

Finally, it was a Stomp in the Swamp as #8 Florida dominated #6 Georgia 49-10. With no score in the first quarter, the Bulldogs offered the Gators a treat when a Tim Tebow interception was called back due to a Georgia personal foul. Florida would go on to score and seize control of both the game and the SEC East with the win.

The marquee matchup of the day, however, pitted #7 Texas Tech against a scary #1 Texas team. Behind a superior offensive line, an effective running game, and an unrelenting pass rush, the Red Raiders pulled off the upset 39-33 in one of the most exciting college football games in years. Oh, and Graham Harrell and the rest of the Texas Tech aerial attack wasn’t bad either. Harrell threw for nearly 500 yards, outplaying counterpart and fellow Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy. Even though McCoy led the Longhorns back from an early 19-0 deficit and took the lead 33-32 with 1:29 to play, he left too much time for the heroics of Harrell and receiver Michael Crabtree. Harrell’s 28-yard scoring strike to Crabtree with 1 second remaining sealed win no. 500 for Texas Tech and their first ever over a #1 team.

That’s some spooky-good play by the Red Raiders, whose ecstatic crowd – in the true spirit of Halloween – left the booing to ghosts.

Here are a few top performers from Saturday’s college football action…

Dez Bryant (WR), Oklahoma State. Bryant caught 9 passes for 171 yards and a career-high 4 touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 59-17 rout of Iowa State. Oklahoma State moves to 8-1 while eclipsing 50 points for the fifth time this season.

Brian Brunner (QB), Central Michigan. With star quarterback Dan LeFevour sidelined with a sprained ankle, the Chippewas didn’t miss a beat. Backup Brian Brunner went 35 of 53 for a school-record 485 yards and 4 touchdowns, and then ran it in from one yard out for the go-ahead score in a 37-34 win over Indiana.

Robert Griffith (QB), Baylor. The freshman quarterback set a college football record for the most passes at the start of a career without an interception, completing 209 passes before his first career pick secured a 31-28 Missouri victory.

The Heisman race is heating up, with a virtual 3-way tie for the lead between three deserving Big 12 quarterbacks...

1) Graham Harrell (QB), Texas Tech. Without a doubt, Harrell is the hottest quarterback in the nation right now after outplaying Colt McCoy in the Red Raiders’ upset of #1 Texas. He completed 36 of 53 passes for 474 yards and 2 scores, the last one a 28-yarder to Michael Crabtree with 1 second left for the win. Harrell leads the country with 3,621 passing yards.

2) Sam Bradford (QB), Oklahoma. Bradford continues to mold consistency with efficiency. He finished 19 of 27 for 311 yards, 5 scores and one interception as the Sooners embarrassed Nebraska 62-28. A big matchup against Harrell and Texas Tech looms three weeks away.

3) Colt McCoy (QB), Texas. Late in the game, McCoy made all the plays he had to in order to put Texas in position for the win. But it was his lukewarm performance through the first 2 ½ quarters – including an interception that was returned for a score – that helped Texas Tech pull off the upset. He finished 20 of 34 for 294 yards and 2 scores.

4) Tim Tebow (QB), Florida. The numbers are modest but methodical: 10-13 for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns; 12 rushes for 39 yards and 3 touchdowns. And he did it in perhaps the Gators’ biggest win of the season thus far, a 49-10 beatdown of #6 Georgia.

5) Chase Daniel (QB), Missouri. After falling out of national title contention with two straight losses, Daniel and the Tigers appeared to have recovered with a 58-0 win last week. However, Missouri struggled to a 31-28 win against a 3-6 Baylor team on Saturday. While Daniel finished 30 for 38 for 318 yards and 3 scores, his two interceptions nearly cost the Tigers the game.