Dumpster Fires of the Week: Mid-major special
A new team makes it’s Dumpster Fire debut, some playoff contenders get smacked in their glass jaws and the worst special teams play of the year.
Dumpster Fires of the Week: Week 7
1. Boise State
It’s not often that a ranked team loses by 26 to an unranked team. If that ranked team is Boise State, it probably hasn't happened in more than 15 years. However, Friday night turned into an absolute horror fest for the Broncos, who trailed Utah State 45-10 at the half following 7 turnovers. They included a 90-yard pick-six with no time left to end the first half.
Boise ended the turnover fest with a fumble on the first possession of the second half to bring the final total to 8. Just a total execution meltdown leading to a total ass kicking.
2. Ole Miss
Hugh Freeze's rebuild in Oxford has so far been a rapid success, with high-profile wins on the field and off of it in recruiting.
However, despite jumping out to a 14-point lead against Memphis, the Rebels got their asses handed to them by OU head coach in waiting Justin Fuente’s Memphis squad. The Tigers kept the Ole Miss defense on its heels all game, and Memphis' excellent QB, Paxton Lynch, threw for nearly 400 yards offense.
The Rebs still control their fate in the SEC West, but any playoff hopes are done.
3. UCLA
The Bruins were a trendy preseason pick for the playoffs. However, the wheels are starting to fall off the Bruin bandwagon after their second blowout loss to a Pac-12 team.
UCLA’s defense (admittedly minus some key folks) got trucked left and right by the Stanford power running game and the skills of Christian McCaffery. Only two meaningless touchdowns in the fourth quarter made this score look slightly better. It was 56-20 at the end of the third Quarter.
Like Ole Miss, the Bruins now find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture. They also have a tree imprint firmly planted on their helmets.
4. Kansas State's offensive game plan
A week earlier, OU gave up 300 yards rushing to a one-dimensional Texas offense that previously looked inept. So KSU, which rushed for more than 250 yards against TCU in a last minute loss, decided to… throw the ball on seven out of the first nine plays? That led to two three-and-outs, an interception and an OU lead within seven minutes of kickoff.
KSU kept falling behind and never really committed to their zone read and power running to stop the bleeding. OU dominated the KSU passing game with 3 INTs, and KSU ended up completing 5 of 22 pass attempts for 45 yards.
5. Utah’s failed lateral on a kickoff
Even after seeing the punt miracle/disaster in Ann Arbor, the real WTF moment of the day in college football belonged to Utah in the Utes' game against Arizona State.
On a very deep kickoff in the end zone at the beginning of the third quarter of a close game, Utah's returner on the left side of the end zone appeared to be running the kick out. About five yards deep inside in the end zone, he passed the ball to the other returner on the opposite side of the field. The pass was low, and the other returner dropped the ball, barely recovering it before being smashed by three Sun Devils.
That’s right, Utah tried to complete a forward pass on a kickoff return. It took the usually incompetent Pac-12 refs several minutes to figure out what exactly was the right call. To be honest, I’ve never seen that play ever in a college football game, either. The result was a safety that gave ASU a temporary lead and the ball after a Utah free kick.
-Atlantasooner