College football writers rely heavily on numbers for their analysis. It’s part of how we connect the dots to tell a story. And the numbers don’t lie. Unless you want them to. Because numbers can say anything you want them to if you give them the time and space on the page. Still, this week’s Sunday Summary is going to try to use numbers to paint the picture of what happened this weekend in the college football world.
Since You Weren’t Watching
Don’t lie. You were not tuned into the prime-time Friday North Texas game against Charlotte. Unless you knew one of the players personally, very few watched. They missed a heck of a show.
North Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker was 37 of 49 passing for 608 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception in the win over Charlotte. Those numbers are not a result of your Bloody Mary Sunday brunch. A redshirt freshman threw for 608 yards.
Comparing Numbers
Wake Forest got a thrilling last-second win over SMU with a 50-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Connor Calvert on the last play of the game. But no one is going to pretend it was a pretty game. Go back and look at Mestermaker’s passing numbers again. Now see that SMU and Wake Forest combined for 547 yards of offense. The two also had 669 punting yards. It led Wake head coach Jake Dickert to say after the game, “We disrespected the football a lot today.”
Good Looking Numbers
Vanderbilt likes its new numbers. Last year, the Commodores became a kitschy storyline. They were vastly improved under young coach Clark Lea and brash transfer quarterback Diego Pavia. After years of getting less support than many high schools across the country, and having the lackluster results to go with that, Vandy football got real financial investments, school support, and fan support.
Don’t look now, but Vanderbilt is a real football program. The Commodores toughed a 17-10 win at home over top 20 Missouri. Vandy is now 7-1. Those numbers are the best start for the Commodores since 1941.
The Numbers Came Up Short
The other side of that Vanderbilt win was the number that will hurt Missouri fans for some time. It was about six inches short.
Down by a touchdown and with time only for a Hail Mary pass, Missouri backup quarterback Matt Zoellers launched a 55-yard pass to the end zone. The officials ruled it was incomplete. The review showed that receiver Kevin Colema, Jr. had in fact caught the pass. But he was about six inches shy of the goal line, and the game was over.
Also Coming Up Short
The woeful first, and possibly only, season of Bill Belichick at North Carolina got “woefuller,” (it’s called artistic liberty when writers make up words).
The Tar Heels were down 17-16 in overtime to Virginia. Having just scored a touchdown to close the gap to one point, UNC had a chance to take down the ACC’s second-place team. Instead of kicking the PAT to go into a second overtime, Belichick opted for the two-point conversion to play for the win. Why not? UNC doesn’t have a conference win and the season is going nowhere.
Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez found running back Davion Gause out in the flat and delivered the pass. Gause made the catch and lunged for the goal line. His right knee was down before he reached for the goal line, and UNC came up just about six inches short.
Not Enough Attention
Not enough people are paying attention to the Memphis Tigers’ numbers. The Tigers took on #18 USF Saturday with both teams at 6-1 on the season, and the AAC race still in a state of flux.
South Florida kicker Nico Gramatica (yes, of the Gramatica kicking family) missed a 52-yard field goal that would have tied the game on the last play. Instead, Memphis comes away with a huge 34-31 win. It was Memphis’ first home win over a ranked team in four years. And the Tigers have now scored 20+ points in 48 straight games, the longest such streak in the nation.
At 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference, it is time to do some Tiger watching.
Saw Plenty
We saw plenty of Texas A&M on Saturday in an impressive win at LSU. Say what you want about the job Brian Kelly is doing at LSU and how he is failing to live up to the school’s expectations (clearly, we also have plenty to say), but LSU on a Saturday night is a tough place for visiting teams.
But this Mike Elko Texas A&M team is about as impressive as they come right now. The Aggies sit atop the SEC at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play. Sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed is now the “previously unheralded Marcel Reed.” His throwing numbers were not great on Saturday. He was 12 of 21 passing for 202 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. But he added another 108 yards on 13 carries. And he is winning. That is the only real number that matters. And it’s way past time to give Elko his deserved coach of the year conversation.
Couture Conversation
The Oregon Ducks went all in on their tribute to the Grateful Dead. Head coach Dan Lanning wore a sweatshirt that said “Grateful Ducks” on the front. There was a tie-dye wrapped VW Bug on the field at Autzen Stadium, and a tribute to the band on the helmets and jersey sleeves.
The New Mexico State Aggies paid tribute to the state’s Indigenous population with the Zia logo on the helmets. It is the sacred sun symbol for the Zia Pueblo people. The New Mexico State athletic department worked with a committee from the Zia Pueblo government to design the helmet. About 30 members of the Zia community were at the game against UTEP.
Couture Miss
The Miami Hurricanes opted for camouflage uniforms on Saturday. Yikes. It brought us back to the days of the 1987 Fiesta Bowl between Miami and Penn State. The Hurricanes dressed in camo for many of the official events, including the Fiesta Bowl dinner. That was the night the team walked out of the dinner because Jerome Brown asked, “Did the Japanese go and sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?”
Bad call on the unis, Miami. Their number is up.
Main Image: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images
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