ONLINE COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMBLING

Inside the Boxscores is a weekly feature from Matt Fargo that has been widely recognized as the best summation in college football over the past four years. He takes an in-depth look at each game and pulls out the most pertinent information that will help you handicap games in the future. College football is filled with quirky plays, misleading scores and surprise endings. Fargo takes you inside the action.

(1) U-S-C 55 Washington St 13

The Trojans did it again, amassing 745 yards of offense while holding the Cougars to just 284 yards. The defense also scored for USC right after Washington St. was able to pull within a point midway through the first quarter. The Trojans then ran off the next 41 points. USC finished 10-14 on third down conversions while going 6-6 in the redzone.

(10) FLORIDA STATE 35 Maryland 27

Maryland spotted the Seminoles a 14-0 lead but then scored 24 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead early in the third quarter. Florida St. took the lead for good in the fourth quarter, converting an interception into a short touchdown drive. The Terrapins had a chance to tie but Florida St. stopped them on downs at the 40-yard line.

(6) MIAMI-FLORIDA 34 No Carolina 16

The Hurricanes may have been caught looking ahead as they actually trailed by nine points at the break. Miami caught fire after halftime, as the Hurricanes forced a fumble deep in North Carolina territory and had a long punt return to set up a score. A blocked punt was also retuned for a touchdown. The Tar Heels had just 18 total yards in the second half.

(16) FLORIDA 14 (4) Georgia 10

The Georgia offense was hurt by the absence of D.J. Shockley even though it outgained the Gators 286-261. Florida took a quick 14-0 lead as it drove 80 yards on the opening drive and then scored another touchdown in its next possession. The Bulldogs shut Florida down after that but two missed field goals by Georgia turned out to be the difference.

(11) PENN STATE 33 Purdue 15

Purdue took a lead into the second quarter but Penn St. scored the next 20 points to pull away. The Nittany Lions outgained the Boilermakers 516-277 including 303 yards rushing on 55 carries (5.5 ypc). Penn St. controlled the clock for over 13 minutes more while Purdue was only 2-14 on third down conversions. Penn St. was a perfect 7-7 in the redzone.

Iowa State 42 TEXAS A&M 14

The up and down season continues for the Cyclones as they outyarded Texas A&M 549-347 and pulled away with a dominating third quarter. The game was still up for grabs but the Aggies turned the ball over three times in a four-possession span in the second half and could never recover. Iowa St. was 13-20 on third and fourth down conversions.

Arizona 29 OREGON STATE 27

Oregon St. outgained the Wildcats 654-384 but the Beavers committed seven turnovers including six interceptions. The turnovers led to 10 Arizona points but more importantly, it killed five drives that ended in Wildcats territory. The last three possessions ended in turnovers for Oregon St. as the fourth quarter comeback fell short by two points.

Akron 24 BOWLING GREEN 14

Bowling Green outgained the Zips 366-358 but the Falcons had two turnovers inside the Akron 10-yard line. They were without quarterback Omar Jacobs and it definitely showed in the passing game as they managed just 173 yards through the air. Akron added a late touchdown after the Falcons turned the ball over on downs at their own 29-yard line.

Ball State 31 NORTHERN ILL 17

Ball St. jumped out to a 24-0 lead and never let the Huskies in the game as the defense played incredible, holding Northern Illinois to 229 total yards. The Cardinals entered Huskies territory on eight of their first nine drives while Northern Illinois didn’t cross midfield until late in the first half. The Huskies had only 41 total yards in the first half and finished with 66 yards rushing.

UL LAFAYETTE 31 Troy 28

Troy spotted the Cajuns a 20-0 lead and then rallied from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to send the game into overtime. The Trojans missed a field goal in overtime that would have sent it to another extra session. UL-Lafayette finished with 265 yards rushing on 52 carries (5.1 ypc) but was only 9-20 passing.

Texas-El Paso 38 RICE 31

UTEP outgained the Owls 532-380 but needed a late stand from the defense to pull out the win. Rice was down by 18 points at halftime and pulled to within four before the Miners went back up by 14. Rice scored with four minutes left and then recovered the onsides kick but the Owls were then stopped on downs at the UTEP five-yard line.

(8) U-C-L-A 30 STANFORD 27

UCLA had another miraculous comeback in regulation and won the game in overtime. The Bruins scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes to tie the game and then scored on its second play in overtime to remain undefeated. Stanford held the Bruins to just 79 yards rushing on 28 carries (2.8 ypc) and controlled the clock for close to 14 more minutes.

ARIZONA STATE 44 Washington 20

Washington kept this game close, trailing by only four points late in the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils then drove down the field for two late touchdowns and added a third on a 60-yard interception return on the final play of the game. Washington was hurt by four turnovers that led to 21 points for the Sun Devils. Arizona St. had just 73 yards rushing on 43 carries (1.8 ypc).

(2) Texas 47 OKLAHOMA STATE 28

Oklahoma St. jumped out to a 28-9 lead late in the second quarter but the Longhorns took over by scoring the final 38 points of the game. Texas finished with 606 yards of offense including 367 yards rushing on 49 carries (7.5 ypc). The Cowboys moved the ball at ease in the first half but the Longhorns held them to just 147 yards in the second half.

(25) Michigan 33 (21) NORTHWESTERN 17

Offense was the early story but the defense dominated in the second half as Michigan’s two field goals accounted for all of the scoring after the break. Northwestern punted on its first five second half possessions and crossed midfield only twice. Michigan missed plenty of opportunities as the Wolverines were inside the Wildcats 36-yard line six times but managed just six points.

Marshall 27 TULANE 26

Marshall rallied from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit, scoring the winning touchdown with just over two minutes remaining. The Herd held Tulane to only 186 total yards including just 23 yards in the second half. The Green Wave’s only touchdown in the second half came on an interception return for a score. Tulane had just 40 yards rushing on 33 carries (1.2 ypc).

LOUISIANA TECH 31 San Jose St 14

Louisiana Tech outgained the Spartans 526-321 and scored the final 17 points of the game to pull out the win. The Bulldogs held San Jose St. to just 98 yards in the second half and entered Spartans territory on their last nine drives. Seven of those possessions were inside the 24-yard line but two turnovers and a missed field goal limited the scoring.

KENTUCKY 13 Miss State 7

Mississippi St. outgained the Wildcats 375-324 but managed just one score despite three trips inside the redzone. The Bulldogs missed a field goal and also fumbled the ball at the Kentucky four-yard line. Mississippi St. had one last chance but turned the ball over on downs at midfield at which point the Wildcats ran out the clock.

(22) Fresno State 27 HAWAII 13

Hawaii outgained Fresno St. 456-445 but the Bulldogs defense held strong late. Hawaii was inside the Fresno St. 17-yard line in three of its last four possessions but was intercepted twice and turned it over on downs at the Bulldogs six-yard line. Fresno St. then scored on a 79-yard run to put the game away with under two minutes remaining.

So Carolina 16 (23) TENNESSEE 15

Tennessee lost its third straight game as the offense was held to just 271 total yards including just 99 yards through the air. South Carolina was held to 133 total yards in its first 11 possessions but gained 128 yards on its next two to take the lead on a 49-yard field goal. Tennessee got the ball back against but turned it over on downs after an 18-yard drive.

(20) T-C-U 23 SAN DIEGO ST 20

TCU trailed by six at halftime before scoring the first two touchdowns of the second half. The Aztecs drove down to the Horned Frogs two-yard line midway through the fourth quarter but was intercepted in the end zone. San Diego St. scored a touchdown late but failed to get the ball back as TCU ran out the clock. The Horned Frogs rushed for 291 yards on 58 carries (5.0 ypc).

Idaho 38 NEW MEXICO ST 37

In the best game that nobody saw, the Vandals kicked a field goal with 1:21 left to send the game into overtime. No scoring took place in the first overtime but instead of going for the tie in the second overtime, Idaho went for two and converted to grab the win. The Vandals gained 582 yards of offense but had two turnovers inside the Aggies 11-yard line in the third quarter.

(7) L-S-U 56 North Texas 3

LSU completely dominated by outgaining the Mean Green 566-206 and scoring touchdowns on eight of its 12 drives. North Texas had four lengthy drives but missed a field goal, threw an interception and turned it over on downs at the Tigers one-yard line. The Tigers averaged 8.8 yppl and had only seven third downs the entire night.

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