Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson looks for a receiver during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
I spent all Saturday watching an unhealthy amount of college football so you didn’t have to; here are three most notable results from this weekend:
Kentucky 27, Florida 16
The last time Kentucky beat Florida, I wasn’t born yet. Odds are if you’re enrolled at UConn right now, then you nor any of your siblings were alive the last time Kentucky beat Florida. No, the last time Kentucky beat Florida in football was 1986, when the Wildcats eked out a 10-3 win on their way to a completely unremarkable 5-5-1 season.
Until this year. Kentucky snapped the longest losing streak in college football on Saturday when they defeated Florida in Gainesville. The streak has been on life support a couple of times in recent years, most notably (and painfully for Kentucky fans) last year, when the Wildcats only had ten men on the field on the play where they gave up the game-winning touchdown.
That, combined with the fact that the Gators are in year one of a rebuild with head coach Dan Mullen, is the only reason that Florida fans aren’t in full-on, pants-on-head crazy mode right now, but the fact that the streak ended in The Swamp will certainly sting.
Colorado 33, Nebraska 28
I’m not the bragging type, but didn’t I tell you last week that this game would be a banger? The crowd at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln was roaring for Saturday’s old Big Eight rivalry game, and the players on the field did not disappoint them.
The quarterback play was fantastic. Colorado starter Steven Montez completed 33 of 50 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns, while Nebraska’s true freshman Adrian Martinez was similarly electric, completing 15 of 20 passes and rushing for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
The game was decided with a minute to go, when Montez heaved it up to the breakout star of the game, powerful wideout Leviska Shenault. The sophomore hauled 10 receptions for 177 yards receiving on the day.
Michigan State 13, Arizona State 16
Who would even doubt legendary undefeated college football head coach Herm Edwards? The haters and losers, that’s who.
After the entire college football universe mocked Arizona State hiring a dude in his mid-60’s who hadn’t coached a football game since 2008 or in college since 1989, Edwards actually ending up a good college head coach would be pretty hilarious.
Arizona State used Michigan State’s sluggish play style against them, holding the Spartans’ usually-prolific rushing attack to just 2.3 yards per carry on the night. Herm then remarked after the game that college coaches focus too much on things like “scoring points.” I’m right there with you Herm, let’s ride this thing ‘til the wheels come off.
Now here’s where I convince you of what to throw on your TV next week after you get home tired from the game or just the tailgate:
Hawaii at Army, noon on CBS Sports
I couldn’t just serve up mainstream “games of the week” on your viewing platter for this weekend, you can just look at the numbers next to the names on the schedule for that.
There’s nothing better to enjoy with your bowl of cereal than Army’s funky option offense vs. Hawaii and head coach Nick Rolovich’s run-and-shoot at beautiful Michie Stadium on the Hudson River.
Army did Army things last week in their win over Liberty, earning a workmans-like 449 yards on 6.3 yards per carry, while Hawaii did Hawaii things last week in their own win against Rice, where quarterback Cole McDonald threw 33 times for 319 yards while their defense was scattered and unorganized. I can’t think of a better combination than that for an entertaining football game.
(You really do not have to watch UConn play in this slot if you’re not already going to the game. Don’t do it to yourself.)
LSU at Auburn, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
Usually I advise you to stay far away from these SEC on CBS midday games. They’re rarely entertaining, and the network always crams in enough commercials to make it last an hour longer than it should. That being said, weird things always happen in Jordan-Hare even in the daytime.
This game should be no exception, especially since LSU came back from a 20-0 first quarter deficit to eventually win 27-23. Plus you’ll get the helmets on the field and all the pageantry that comes with two huge, passionate SEC fanbases coming together for some good old-fashioned hate.
Ohio State vs. TCU, 8 p.m. on ABC
If you’re able to divorce the actual players on the field from the rotten bureaucracy behind them – let’s be honest, you have to do this nearly every time you watch college sports – this is the must-watch game of the weekend.
Ohio State has yet to be tested much in the first two weeks of the season, as Ohio State beat the brakes off of Oregon State and Rutgers, but the stats jump off the page for Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins: 42 of 53 passing on the year for nine touchdowns and a lone interception.
On the other side, Gary Patterson’s squad is also still waiting for a challenge. They won over Southern and SMU by a combined 97 to 19 points. They accomplished this by keeping their opponents well behind schedule, allowing just 2.3 yards per play on defense (ninth in the nation) led by All-Big 12 defensive end Ben Banogu.
Luke Swanson is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at luke.swanson@uconn.edu.