FSU, Kansas, Duke lead surprising college football starts

FSU, Kansas, Duke lead surprising college football starts

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where stubborn old Iowa can rank last in the nation in yards per play (2.8) and still not feel the need to make a quarterback change:

MORE DASH: Frost Fired | Who’s Next? | Scenic Stadiums

THIRD QUARTER

SIGNS OF LIFE

There are some early stirrings of success in unusual locales, and some comebacks from forgotten people and places. A Dash breakdown of what’s going well that we might not have seen coming:

The Atlantic Coast Conference (21) has eight undefeated teams and a 19–4 nonconference record. Last year, just five ACC teams made it to 2–0. For a league known for many years as Clemson or Bust, it’s good to have some more schools making headlines. (Three other ACC teams are ranked, after the No. 5 Tigers: No. 13 Miami, No. 16 North Carolina State and No. 19 Wake Forest.)

On Saturday the ACC took the show on the road and held up well, going 5–1 in nonleague play. That included upset victories by Duke and Louisville, plus the return of Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman earlier than some had expected to lead the Demon Deacons past Vanderbilt. North Carolina won consecutive road games and is averaging 51.3 points despite leading receiver Josh Downs missing the past two contests (freshman quarterback Drake Maye is legit).

The most surprising ACC teams to date:

Florida State (22). The Seminoles very nearly blew a sure victory against LSU in the final minute Labor Day night, but nevertheless held on for a rare ACC victory over the SEC. (Last year the record was 8–1 in favor of the SEC.) FSU is off to its first 2–0 start since 2016, which tells you how bad it’s been in Tally in recent

Read More

Kansas shocks Texas again as Longhorns drop five straight games for first time since 1956

Kansas shocks Texas again as Longhorns drop five straight games for first time since 1956
kansas-texas-2021-getty.png
Getty Images

Just 10 games into the Steve Sarkisian era at Texas, the Longhorns matched a historic low on Saturday night with a 57-56 loss to Kansas in overtime. It was Texas’ fifth straight loss, marking the first time the Longhorns have dropped five straight since … 1956! Kansas, meanwhile, picked up its first Big 12 road win since 2008. 

The last time Texas lost five straight games in 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, “The Ten Commandments” was the biggest movie in the world and the Longhorns’ lone win of the season was on the road against Tulane — an SEC program at the time. The last time Texas lost to Kansas in football was 2016, and coach Charlie Strong was fired at the end of that season. 

Kansas scored 21 unanswered points during an 85-second flurry at the end of the first half thanks to a fumble and pick-six from freshman quarterback Hudson Card, one of two quarterbacks that the Longhorns used against the Jayhawks. 

Texas came back from a 49-35 fourth quarter deficit to tie the game and force overtime thanks to some heroics from quarterback Casey Thompson. The upperclassman threw a touchdown to Cade Brewer with 22 seconds left to force overtime and completed an 8-yard pass to Marcus Washington in the first overtime. However, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels made an unbelievable play on a two-point conversion to clinch the win. 

Daniels was brilliant in his first start of 2021 for the Jayhawks, throwing for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Running back Devin Neal rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns of his own to keep pace with the Longhorns. Texas quarterbacks Thompson and Card combined for four turnovers. 

By the end of the fourth quarter, Kansas fans were chanting “S-E-C” at the

Read More