College Football Beat

Team of the Week

Iowa

Iowa State was impressive in their victory over Nebraska, but Iowa may have pulled off the tougher feat. After losing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead, they pulled it together to shock Penn State 42-35 in Happy Valley, PA. C.J. Jones caught the game winner in the extra period.

Gutsy Effort of the Week

Kentucky

Despite losing to Florida 41-34, the Wildcats might have gained more respect than in their previous victories. Florida built a 19-0 halftime lead, but Kentucky, despite a struggling offense, never quit, and they came back with fantastic special teams play. Florida's Matt Leach had two extra points blocked. Punter Sean Morton dropped a clean snap. Morton's replacement, Jason Hunter, had another punt blocked. Earnest Graham lost a fumble that led to a quick Kentucky touchdown. And Derek Abney had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and returned a punt 49 yards for another score. Kentucky pulled to within 39-34 with 5:24 left.

Player of the Week

Derek Abney, Kentucky

As stated previously, Abney had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and returned a punt 49 yards for another score.

Strange Behavior of the Week

Former Penn State star linebacker LaVar Arrington was ejected from Saturday's game between his alma mater and Iowa for yelling at the officials from the Nittany Lions' sideline.

Strange Behavior of the Week Part II

Penn State coach Joe Paterno charged across the field and grabbed an official by the shoulder to protest some calls after the game. Asked about the incident after the game, Paterno said only: "I thought they made a couple of lousy calls on the other side of the field."

Kick 'em while they're down

Police at Florida are investigating a break-in to the Kentucky locker room last Saturday in which a robber stole several hundred dollars from the wallets of Wildcats coach Guy Morriss and his assistants.

"It's an unfortunate incident that we've apologized to Kentucky for," said Chip Howard, Florida's assistant athletic director for auxiliary services. "We take pride in securing all parts of our football stadium. We'll make sure it won't happen again."

"About six guys had money taken," defensive coordinator John Goodner said. "Didn't take their wallets. Just their money. They didn't get me, but I was lucky. I put my wallet in my briefcase and took it up to the press box." Howard said a staff member for Miami also had money stolen from the locker room when the Hurricanes visited on Sept. 7.

Unappreciated Smart Play of the Week

Penn State, down 15, scores a TD to cut their deficit to 9. They line up for the extra point, but fake it and run it in to cut the lead to 7 and later tie the game to send it to O.T. It's amazing more teams don't use the element of surprise instead of waiting until the end of the game to go for 2.

When it rains...

One of the most interesting games of the week occurred on Thursday when Florida State lost 26-20 in overtime at Louisville. This game was played in a torrential downpour, and as much as you'd like to say Florida State isn't that good, it's hard to make that case given the conditions. The Seminoles will be able to stake their claim as a legitimate team when they face Miami in a few weeks.

...it pours

Nebraska is 3-2, not ranked, and has been whipped twice. It looks like a long season for the Cornhuskers, and maybe a complete program overhaul is in the near future. Their offense is outdated, their talent is thin and head coach Frank Solich doesn't seem to have a clue how to turn this ship around.

Thumbs Down to CBS (Note: This has nothing to do with Jill Arrington.)

The worst sports network further solidified their standing on Saturday. Early in the Florida-Kentucky game, they ran the score ticker. So what was the score of Iowa State-Nebraska on rival ABC? Shockingly, the game was listed as having an 8 p.m. start time. Yeah, like we didn't know it was on.

Looking Ahead:

No. 7 Georgia (4-0) at No. 22 Alabama (4-1)

Georgia has looked less than stellar thus far and is ranked this high due more to expectations than actual performance. Alabama has been impressive and head coach Dennis Franchione is one of the early leaders for coach of the year.

Maryland (3-2) at West Virginia (3-1)

Maryland stumbled against Notre Dame and Florida State, but can still salvage a respectable season if they take care of business. West Virginia lost their only game against a ranked team (Wisconsin).

No. 18 USC (3-1) at No. 17 Washington State (4-1)

Jason Gesser is back on track and USC has looked good despite falling to K-State two weeks ago. This game could decide the PAC-10. Then again, every game could decide the PAC-10.

This Weekend's Player to Watch

Brodie Coyle, QB, Alabama

Threw for 285 yards and two TDs vs. Arkansas last week. Gets a chance to shine on the national stage this weekend.

The Heisman Watch

1. Charles Rogers (Michigan State WR)

Rogers set an NCAA record by catching a touchdown pass in his 13th straight regular-season game as Michigan State beat Northwestern 39-24 Saturday.

2. Seneca Wallace (Iowa State QB)

Wallace ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as Iowa State beat Nebraska 36-14.

3. Maurice Clarett (Ohio State RB)

Returning less than two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery, Clarett rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns to lead Ohio State to a 45-17 victory over Indiana.

The Unbiased Top 5

1. Miami (4-0) - They play a powerful Connecticut team this Saturday. Oh, this is football, I'm sorry. FSU next week. 2. Virginia Tech (5-0) - Get a week off after shutting out Western Michigan. 3. Texas (4-0) - We won't know about this team until Oklahoma on October 12. 4. Oklahoma (4-0) - Again, they are a mystery until the Longhorns. 5. Ohio State (5-0) - Is this team for real? With the sorry state of the Big Ten, we may not find out until the Fiesta Bowl. They play at Northwestern, San Jose St., at Wisconsin, Penn St., Minnesota, at Purdue, at Illinois, and Michigan.