Florida State is missing several key offensive players during Saturday’s game against Syracuse, but receiver Travis Rudolph is quelling any concerns about an upset.

Rudolph had two touchdowns in the first quarter, but his first — a 75-yard pass from quarterback Sean Maguire — was his best.

Rudolph caught the ball at the 30-yard line in between two Syracuse defenders. He then juked another defender before stiff-arming a Syracuse player to the ground on his way into the end zone.

It was the type of effort the Seminoles needed to get energized after Syracuse took a quick 7-0 lead. Rudolph also had a 45-yard touchdown catch from Maguire.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Seminoles are rolling 21-7.

For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

Boise State is breaking out special helmets for Halloween on Saturday afternoon at UNLV.

Take a look at these black and orange beauties:

Here's how the helmet pairs with the rest of the team's combination.

We’ve seen a few other programs get in the Halloween spirit, including Texas A&M’s blackout uniforms, but these helmets definitely are the best of the weekend.

Boise improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in Mountain West play last weekend by beating Wyoming. The Broncos need a win over UNLV to keep pace with Utah State in the Mountain Division after USU beat Wyoming on Friday night.

For more Boise State news, visit Blue-Turf.com.

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We're thinking that Kyler Murray is going to get a second start at quarterback for Texas A&M.

The Aggies piled up over 500 yards of total offense against South Carolina on Saturday in a 35-28 win. That's the most yards A&M's offense has had all season.

Yeah, it's necessary to point out that South Carolina's defense isn't exactly one of the best in the SEC in 2015. But after two-straight losses and a lack of clarity at quarterback, A&M's offense was looking for a positive against the Gamecocks.

Murray didn't play last week against Ole Miss after he reportedly had a disagreement with A&M coaches during the team's loss to Alabama. He was named the starter for the South Carolina game Friday and responded with over 375 yards of total offense.

The freshman was 20-of-28 passing for 223 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 156 yards and a score on 20 carries. A four-star recruit in the class of 2015, Murray competed with Kyle Allen for the starting job in fall camp. While Murray got playing time, Allen, a sophomore, won the right to start. But in the past two games, Allen threw four interceptions, opening the door for Murray to capitalize.

As Texas A&M's offense looked good, the defense still has a few question marks. South Carolina had a chance to tie the game with 1:30 left. But a Perry Orth fumble (recovered by South Carolina) and an interception on back-to-back plays ruined the Gamecocks' chances.

The Gamecocks ran for 253 yards, including an Orth 66-yard touchdown run. Texas A&M has now given up over 200 yards rushing in three of the last four games. The only sub-200 yard game came against Mississippi State. Where the Bulldogs ran for 196 yards.

So yes, A&M is still flawed. But the Aggies are much less flawed if a full-dose of Murray is the missing ingredient to offensive success. At 6-2, Texas A&M can still make some noise in the West. Though with games against Auburn and LSU looming over the final four, a porous run defense needs to piece itself together for any chance at a 10-win season.

For more South Carolina news, visit GamecockCentral.com.

For more Texas A&M news, visit AggieYell.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Ole Miss still controls its own destiny in the SEC West.

It wasn’t easy, but the 19th-ranked Rebels managed to hold off a pesky Auburn team in a 27-19 road win. Chad Kelly threw for 381 yards in the win, but the Rebels didn’t have much breathing room until he hit Laquon Treadwell with a beautiful 21-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown with just over 10 minutes to go.

That score gave the Rebels a 27-19 lead and the defense held things down the rest of the way to improve their record to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in SEC play.

The first three quarters featured plenty of yards gained on both sides, but not a lot to show for it on the scoreboard. The Rebels took their first lead since the first quarter late in the third when Kelly hooked up with Derrick Jones for a 45-yard score to make it 20-13.

Auburn, like it did for most of the game, was able to move the ball on the ensuing drive, but sputtered in the red zone and settled for Daniel Carlson’s third field goal of the game.

Kelly was then intercepted by Auburn’s Kris Frost on the next drive, giving the Tigers some serious momentum. But again, Ole Miss’ defense stiffened in the red zone and forced the Tigers to settle for another chip shot field goal from Carlson to cut the lead to 20-19 with 12 minutes to go.

That was as close as Auburn would get.

Kelly rebounded on Ole Miss’ next drive and quickly led the Rebels down the field for the touchdown to Treadwell, who finished with seven catches for 114 yards. The Tigers had three more cracks at it on offense, but couldn’t get anything going as the Rebels held on for the win.

The win is a big one for Ole Miss in a crowded SEC West. Alabama and LSU had the weekend off ahead of their huge matchup in Tuscaloosa next weekend. And because Ole Miss already beat Alabama for its lone loss earlier in the year and face unbeaten LSU in three weeks, the Rebels still control their own destiny in their quest to win the division.

Next on the schedule is a home matchup next Saturday against Arkansas (3-4, 2-2).

For Auburn, this is the latest loss in a very disappointing season. The Tigers are now 4-4 (1-4 SEC) on the year heading into next Saturday night’s game at Texas A&M. With Georgia and Alabama also still on the schedule, Auburn has a tough path to bowl eligibility. 

For more Ole Miss news, visit RebelGrove.com.

For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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The definition of targeting in college football seems to be, well, a moving target at times.

Texas Tech defensive back Jah'Shawn Johnson was ejected in the first half of the Red Raiders' game against Oklahoma State for targeting. It wasn't especially egregious. Hell, it doesn't even look like targeting at all. Watch:

This is targeting apparently. Texas Tech's Jah'Shawn Johnson is ejected. pic.twitter.com/RepuMHTOrU

— Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) October 31, 2015

Quite frankly, it looks like a tackle that happens 40 times a football game without the thought of a penalty flag. But because it came in the open field against a player who caught the ball, it apparently was a targeting foul. Here's what Fox Sports analyst and former official Mike Pereira had to say about the call.

Those asking about the targeting at TTU, I don't like it but facemask to facemask it a foul by rule against a defenseless receiver.

— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) October 31, 2015

We understand that targeting is designed to prevent players from serious head injuries. And the rule does penalize those who purposely headhunt. However, there has been a lot of collateral damage within the confines of the rule.

Head-to-head contact in football is unfortunately unavoidable. And Johnson was tackling appropriately. He squared up the offensive player and kept his head up. How else is he supposed to tackle in that situation? Jump to make sure that his helmet doesn't touch the other player's helmet? Going low isn't really an option because he'll have to lower his head and make it more dangerous for himself.

If the rule isn't further clarified in the offseason, we hope officials are at least told to use some better judgment when it comes to interpreting the rule. Football needs to continue to evolve when it comes to safety. But that evolution needs some common sense.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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USC’s dream of a Pac-12 South title is alive for another week.

The Trojans defeated California 27-21 to earn their second consecutive victory and remain in the hunt for the division title. USC still trails Utah by a game, but if the Utes slip up, the Trojans do own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

What was most fascinating about USC’s victory was that it came because of strong play on the ground. The Trojans ran the ball 50 times compared to just 19 passes from quarterback Cody Kessler.

Ronald Jones, Tre Madden and Justin Davis all had double-digit carries as the Trojans racked up 185 yards on the ground, which included two touchdowns. However, the most significant running game contribution may have come at the end of the game when the Trojans rushed for two first downs in the final three minutes following a Cal touchdown to cut the score to six.

Cal opted not to onside kick and put the game in the hands of its defense, which had played well most of the game. However, the Bears weren’t able to slow the progress of a determined USC team that is now 2-1 under interim coach Clay Helton.

Cal scored the first touchdown of the game, but USC scored the next 24 points, including a touchdown off an interception of quarterback Jared Goff. Cal got a couple key defensive stops, but Goff threw another pick that set up a USC field goal. Cal’s final touchdown came with 3:52 remaining.

Cal started the season 5-0, but has lost three straight to Utah, UCLA and USC. The Bears have dropped to fourth in the Pac-12 North standings and are now just vying to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2011.

USC got some bad news after the game, however. Leading receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a fractured hand during the game according to interim coach Cley Helton. Smith-Schuster has had a similar injury before and Helton said after the game that his availability going forward will be dependent on pain tolerance. Smith-Schuster has 47 catches for 901 yards and eight touchdowns.

For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.

For more Cal news, visit GoldenBearReport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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Florida can start making plans for the SEC Championship in Atlanta.

Thanks to a resounding 27-3 win over Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville, the Gators have all but clinched the SEC East before the calendar even flips to November. How is that possible?

Well, Florida now has a three-game lead on every other team in the division outside of Vanderbilt. And with a 5-1 record in the SEC, the Gators have just two conference games to go. The only scenario that doesn't equal a Florida trip to Atlanta is if Vanderbilt wins out and Florida loses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt. With both teams at 5-3, Vanderbilt would go to the title game.

The story of the game will be Georgia's offensive ineptness, however. The Bulldogs started third-string quarterback Faton Bauta on Saturday. The thought was that with Bauta, a dangerous rushing threat,  could add another weapon for Georgia on the ground. It didn't work out that way at all.

Bauta was ineffective as both a runner and a passer. Yeah, Florida's defense is one of the best in the country, but Bauta looked just like he was: a third-string quarterback making his first start. He finished the game 15-of-33 for 154 yards and four interceptions. Georgia ran for 69 yards overall.

The only points the Bulldogs got came because of a short field set up in the third quarter by a Florida fumble. A long fourth-quarter drive that could have cut the lead to 10 was derailed by, you guessed it, an interception.

The Gators scored first on a fumbled Georgia punt. The next touchdown came on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Treon Harris to Antonio Callaway. From there, the Florida offense could have simply gone three-and-out with kneeldowns the rest of the game. There wasn't any way Georgia was going to come close to scoring a touchdown.

After Mike Bobo left to become the head coach at Colorado State, Georgia hired former St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to fill Bobo's position. It hasn't been a successful hire just yet, and that's partially due to the team's inability to get simply more than average quarterback play from the quarterback position.

Or perhaps it's due to the offensive staff's inability to get simply more than average quarterback play.

Georgia's offense lost a ton when sophomore RB Nick Chubb went down with a season-ending knee injury against Tennessee. But with Keith Marshall and Sony Michel, there is enough talent at running back to keep the rushing game afloat.

Greyson Lambert, the Virginia transfer who became Georgia's starting QB at the beginning of the season, hasn't been nearly as good as he looked since his 24-of-25 passing performance against South Carolina in the third game of the season. But he hasn't been as bad as Bauta looked on Saturday

Somewhat surprisingly, Georgia stuck with Bauta after a bad first half. Georgia coach Mark Richt said in his halftime interview that Bauta wasn't getting much help from the rest of his offense. And that point was true. There wasn't anything to be optimistic about for the Georgia offense.

Will Georgia stick with Bauta? The Bulldogs are now 5-3, though an 8 or 9-win season still seems achievable thanks to an easy schedule. But every Georgia fan will tell you that second place in the East and single-digit wins was not the goal for 2015.

On the flip side, a lot of Florida fans would have taken 9 wins and second after the disaster that was the 2014 season. But thanks to an offense that's still capable without Will Grier and a top-flight defense, the Gators have five weeks to prepare for a rematch with LSU or a game with Alabama or Ole Miss. As Georgia fans ponder the longer-term future of the program, Florida fans have a month to book hotels in the Bulldogs' backyard.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.

For more Florida news, visit InsidetheGators.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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It was evident early on in Saturday’s Oklahoma State-Texas Tech game that it would be a shootout. Oklahoma State was perfectly fine with that.

After the Red Raiders jumped out to a 17-0 lead, the 12th-ranked Cowboys stormed back to knock off the Red Raiders 70-53 in Lubbock and remain undefeated on the season.

The Cowboys put up a whopping 662 yards of total offense against an inept TTU defense, including nearly 500 yards through the air combined from Mason Rudolph (21/35, 285 yards, 2 TDs) and J.W. Walsh. Walsh, who played most of the tightly contested fourth quarter, attempted only five passes, but totaled 167 yards and two scores, including the game-sealing 73-yard deep ball to James Washington with under four minutes to play. He also added 80 yards and a score on the ground.

And though Walsh was in the ballgame when it mattered most, it was Rudolph who brought the Cowboys back from a deficit that was as large as 31-14 early in the second quarter. After shaking off an early interception, Rudolph led the Cowboys to touchdowns on four straight drives to end the first half, cutting Tech’s lead to 38-28 at halftime.

Both offenses were sluggish to start the second half, but OSU was jumpstarted by the speedy Jalen McCleskey, who returned a punt 67 yards for a score midway through the third. And after Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes (38/55, 480 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs) fumbled later in the quarter, the Cowboys took their first lead, 42-38, on a 28-yard touchdown run by Raymond Taylor.

The teams traded touchdowns on the next three drives, but the big turning point came when Mahomes, with Oklahoma State leading 49-45, threw a critical interception deep in OSU territory. Three plays later, Washington scored from 75 yards out on an end-around, extending the Cowboys lead to 56-45.

TTU cut the lead to three on its next possession, but Walsh’s long ball to Washington sealed the deal, which was later capped off by a pick six in the final minute to give the Cowboys the 70-53 victory.

The win sets up a huge battle with TCU in Stillwater next Saturday. TCU, also unbeaten at 8-0, dominated West Virginia 40-10 on Thursday night.

The stretch run for the Big 12 title is still completely wide open. Baylor is also undefeated at 7-0 heading into a Thursday night game at Kansas State. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, at 7-1, is also still hanging around in the race for the Big 12 crown with games against the Bears, Horned Frogs and Cowboys all still on the schedule.

November should be a wild month in the Big 12.

For more Oklahoma State news, visit OStateIllustrated.com.

For more Texas Tech news, visit RedRaiderSports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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Do you want to see a defensive lineman return a fumble 77 yards for a touchdown?

If you do, you're in luck. Here's Kentucky defensive lineman Cory Johnson doing just that. Run big man, run.

This is how the fumble happened:

Johnson is listed at 6-3, 300 pounds. And the best part? He's nicknamed "Poop" after this hilarious interview from last August about how often he goes to the bathroom.

Hopefully he had plenty of time before the game to take care of any business.

For more Kentucky news, visit CatsIllustrated.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson had a brief altercation with an NC State assistant coach during the Tigers 56-41 win over the Wolfpack.

As Watson went out of bounds on a second half run, he collided with Wolfpack running backs coach Des Kitchings, who then appeared to deliver a jab to Watson’s shoulder pad.

Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren was asked about the incident after the game. Though Doeren hadn’t seen footage of what happened, he said Kitchings apologized to the Clemson coaches and to Watson after the game.

As for Watson, he didn’t have a whole lot to add.

“A guy kind of swung at me and pushed me off,” Watson said, per TigerNet.com. “I just walked away. I don’t know why he did it.”

Maybe his 383 yards passing and six total touchdowns (five throwing, one rushing) had something to do with it. 

(Vine via SB Nation)

For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.

For more North Carolina State news, visit TheWolfPacker.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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In a season full of unbelievable endings, Miami topped them all on the road at Duke.

After the Blue Devils stormed back from a 12-point deficit in the final six minutes to take a 27-24 lead with six seconds remaining, the Hurricanes scored on an absurd kickoff return for touchdown that had eight laterals. Somehow, after all of those laterals, the ball ended up in the hands of junior Corn Elder at the 10-yard line near the left sideline.

Once it was in his hands, Elder had a wall of blockers ahead and made a few men miss on his way to an improbable game-winning touchdown and a 30-27 Miami win.

Understandably, the play was subject to a lengthy (nearly nine minutes) review. First, the officials had to make sure none of the laterals were actually forward passes and that no Miami players were down while they had possession of the ball. Additionally, the Hurricanes were initially flagged for an illegal block in the back, but it was determined that all of the blocks on the play were legal. How that determination was made, however, is up for debate.

Additionally, Mike Walton's knee appears to be down before he lateraled the ball in the craziness that was the kick return.

The touchdown, which gave the Hurricanes a 30-27 victory, comes less than a week after Hurricanes head coach Al Golden was fired following an embarrassing 58-0 home loss.

The crazy final play overshadowed what was a great comeback effort by the Blue Devils. Miami's lead was extended to 24-12 with 5:54 remaining on a 37-yard field goal by Michael Badgley.

After the field goal, Miami's defense went into prevent mode, but it backfired. Thanks to a few Miami penalties and the efforts of quarterback Thomas Sirk, Duke went 75 yards in 14 plays and 3:14 to cut into the lead on a Sirk 13-yard touchdown pass to Johnell Barnes. 

Duke then forced the Hurricanes to go three-and-out to give its offense another shot with 1:45 to go. That's when Sirk went back to work. Four Sirk completions and three pass interference penalties against the Hurricanes allowed Duke to work its way to the 2-yard line. Duke had no timeouts, but instead of keeping it in the air, Sirk scored on a quarterback keeper with six seconds to go and then punched in a two-point conversion to take a 27-24 lead.

It looked like the game was completely in hand for the Blue Devils, but as we've learned recently with the improbable losses of Michigan and Florida State in recent weeks, the unexpected is always possible in college football. 

The win improves Miami’s record to 5-3 on the season, but the loss is a brutal one for Duke. The Blue Devils, now 6-2, would have stayed tied for first place in the ACC Coastal division with North Carolina, which beat Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

Now the Tar Heels have sole possession of first place in the division, but Duke will have the chance to re-claim the top spot in the division against UNC in Chapel Hill next Saturday.

For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.

For more Duke news, visit DevilsIllustrated.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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Minnesota had the ball at the Michigan 1-yard-line with 19 seconds left Saturday night. Trailing 29-26, Minnesota needed just a field goal to tie or a touchdown to take the lead. The Gophers got neither as Michigan held on for the win.

Minnesota appeared to have gotten a touchdown on the play that got the Gophers down to the 1 when Mitch Leidner hit Drew Wolitarsky for a completion that was ruled a touchdown on the field. But a review showed that Wolitarsky's knee was down at the 1 and the score was taken off the board.

Then Minnesota started having some issues. Since the catch was a first down and Wolitarsky was in-bounds, the clock started on the referee's whistle. The Gophers were apparently unaware of that and changed formations after lining up. The shifting and subsequent pass meant Minnesota lost 17 seconds off the clock. Two seconds remained after Leidner's pass fell incomplete.

Interim coach Tracy Claeys used his final timeout to decide to either tie the game or go for the win. He chose the latter and sent the offense back on the field. Minnesota then tried a sneak with Leidner and the Gophers were stuffed. Game over.

It was Claeys' first game as interim coach (in 2015) since the retirement of coach Jerry Kill on Wednesday. Kill, 54, retired from his post because of health reasons. Claeys was the interim coach in 2013 when Kill took a leave of absence after suffering a seizure during a game.

Claeys' team hung with the Wolverines the entire game. It wasn't surprising given the emotional events of the past week. A win would have been a fitting way to pay tribute to Kill's career.

Michigan took a 29-26 lead when Wilton Speight hit Jehu Chesson for a 12-yard score with 4:57 left. But Minnesota responded brilliantly – until the final two plays – as Leidner converted passes on third-and-17 and hit K.J. Mays for a great conversion on fourth-and-5 to keep the drive alive.

Michigan now moves to 6-2 and 3-1 in the Big Ten with games against Rutgers, Indiana and Penn State before Ohio State to end the season. For Minnesota, well, the schedule doesn't get any easier. The Gophers visit the Buckeyes next week before playing undefeated Iowa. A win against either team could go a long way toward securing Claeys' future as Minnesota's head coach. And if he's in a similar situation against one of them, we're betting Minnesota goes for the tie.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Temple’s chance for its biggest win in program history came up just short.

The 22nd-ranked Owls fought valiantly, but dropped a 24-20 decision to No. 9 Notre Dame in front of a raucous home crowd at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls led 20-17 with less than five minutes to play, but Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer found Will Fuller, a Philadelphia native, in the corner of the end zone for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play.

The Owls regained possession down 24-20 with 2:09 to play, but Notre Dame defensive back KeiVarae Russell laid out and hauled in a diving interception from Temple’s P.J. Walker to seal the hard-fought victory.

Notre Dame looked like it had a chance to open up a multiple possession lead in the first half, but the Temple defense stopped the Irish multiple times deep in Owls territory.

First, with the Irish up 7-3 early in the second, Kizer was intercepted by Praise Martin-Oguike inside the 10-yard line. That takeaway led to the first Temple touchdown of the night as the Owls went 94 yards in eight plays to take a 10-7 lead on a Walker touchdown pass to Brandon Shippen.

That Temple lead wouldn’t last long, however. On the third play of Notre Dame’s next drive, Kizer kept on a read option and showed off his breakaway speed with a 79-yard touchdown run to give the Irish a 14-10 lead.

And after forcing a Temple punt, the Irish had a chance to build on that lead but Owls star linebacker Tyler Matakevich intercepted Kizer on a ball that was tipped at the goal line. That allowed the Owls to stay within 14-10 at the half.

Notre Dame’s first drive of the second half told a similar tale. This time, instead of forcing a turnover, the Temple defense held at the goal line and forced the Irish to settle for a 23-yard Justin Yoon field goal.

The teams then traded punts on the next two drives before Temple finally re-established a rhythm on offense. Using a mix of Jahad Thomas runs and Walker passes, the Owls marched 78 yards in 14 plays in 7:21 to tie the game 17-17 on a one-yard Thomas fourth-and-goal touchdown run with 10:51 to play.

With the momentum and a rowdy home crowd behind it, Temple forced a punt and then took a 20-17 lead on an Austin Jones 36-yard field goal with 4:45 to play.

That’s when Kizer went back to work. It didn’t take long either.

The key play on Notre Dame’s next drive was a 45-yard completion to Alize Jones down to the Temple 17. Two plays later, Kizer hit Fuller for the game-winning score.

The win keeps Notre Dame, now 7-1, firmly in the College Football Playoff hunt with another road contest at Pitt on the horizon.

Temple’s loss means the American Athletic Conference is down to just two undefeated teams: Memphis and Houston. The Owls are still the top team in the AAC’s East Division and shouldn’t have a problem winning the East to earn a spot in the first AAC title game. 

On a larger scale, if Temple wins out – with a win over Memphis included – it will be under heavy consideration for a Group of 5 bid in a New Year’s bowl, especially after the performance against Notre Dame.

For more Notre Dame news, visit BlueAndGold.com.

For more Temple news, visit OwlScoop.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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The American Athletic Conference came into the month of October knowing it had an opportunity to get the nation to sit up and take notice.

With several key games against Power Five opponents, the AAC had a chance to show that while it was a member of the Group of Five, it deserved as much respect as the conferences that were being considered for the four-team playoff.

Mission accomplished.

The conference had four wins against Power Five programs in October, including wins against SEC foes Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. On Saturday, Temple came close to upsetting Notre Dame, a game that needed a late Irish touchdown to seal the victory.

Also, several players have emerged as possible postseason trophy candidates, including Temple running back Jahad Thomas, and quarterbacks Greg Ward Jr. (Houston), Paxton Lynch (Memphis) and Keenan Reynolds (Navy), who tied the NCAA all-time rushing record against South Florida on Saturday.

Despite Temple’s loss, the AAC still has two undefeated teams — Memphis and Houston — that are still in play for a New Year’s Six Bowl, and even Temple has a chance if it wins out.

"I think that what we've established for this league is that we're a good league,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco told the Sporting News earlier in the week. “We've won a lot of games. I just wanted to establish that the league is good and establish credibility. Last year we were a good league, but we didn't win a lot of those non-conference games. This year, that we have undefeated teams as we get closer to conference play means a lot to us. Just the Playoff — we want to be considered for that, but we also have the Group of Five slot which is critical. We hope we can obviously get that."

Getting into the playoff might take some doing considering those spots are almost exclusively reserved for Power Five teams. Theoretically, a Group of Five team could ascend to the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings, but that team would need to be undefeated against an extraordinary schedule, which likely would include a nonconference slate of some high-level Power Five teams. As of right now, no Group of Five team can boast this, but several have impressive resumes and it will be interesting to see where they all fall when the College Football Playoff rankings first come out on Tuesday.

Coming into this weekend, four Group of Five teams were ranked in the AP and Coaches polls. Memphis is the highest at No. 16 with Houston close behind at No. 18 (19 in the Coaches poll). Those teams defeated Tulane and Vanderbilt respectively, so they could end up higher in the CFP rankings, which are the ones that really matter.

No matter what happens moving forward, the AAC has done its job. It’s made the most of it nonconference games and earned a heavy dose of respect while doing so.

The next goal: inclusion.

Here are the rest of the winners and loser from Week 9:

WINNERS

Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati: Kiel’s season hasn’t lived up to the preseason hype, but Saturday’s performance against UCF was definitely a step in the right direction. Kiel completed all 15 of his passes for 319 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-7 win against the Knights. While UCF hasn’t won a game this season, it was still an effort Kiel needed to get back some of the confidence he’s lost due to mediocre performances and injuries. Kiel did split time in the game with Hayden Moore, who has played well while Kiel was injured, but it looks like Kiel has fully regained his role as the starter and hopefully this will give the entire team confidence as the Bearcats head into a touch contest against Houston next week.

Sean Maguire, Florida State: Everett Golson and Dalvin Cook were both out for Saturday’s game against Syracuse, stirring up uncertainty about how the Seminoles could cope without their two biggest stars. All Maguire did was turn in a dominant performance, throwing for 348 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jacques Patrick stepped up in the backfield to tally 162 yards and 3 touchdowns of his own, showing Florida State has a decent 1-2 punch backup plan. 

Corey Clement, Wisconsin: Clement returned to the football field in grand style against Rutgers, rushing for 115 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-10 win against Rutgers. And all of that came in just three quarters of work. Clement played since the season opener against Alabama because of a sports hernia injury that required surgery on Oct. 1. In his absence, the Wisconsin offense has struggled, especially on the ground where the Badgers averaged just 152.5 yards per game, which ranked 75th in the country.

Chase Litton, Marshall: The Thundering Herd moved to 5-0 in Conference USA thanks to a scintillating performance by Litton in the team's 34-10 win over Charlotte. He threw for 486 yards and two touchdowns while completing 33-48 passes. The passing yards were a career high for for the freshman; he hadn't thrown over 270 yards in a game this season. Thanks to a loss to Ohio in the second week of the season, Marshall (8-1) isn't in contention for a New Year's Six bowl berth. But a second-straight one-loss season looks entirely possible, especially if Litton keeps this up.

Brett Rypien, Boise State: There was a lot of hype surrounding freshman quarterback Brett Rypien as he began his Boise State career, but no one expected him to be this good. In a 55-27 road win over UNLV on Saturday, Rypien threw for 469 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. That 469-yard total set a Boise State program record for most passing yards in a single game by a freshman. Rypien's big day broke the previous record held by BSU great Kellen Moore, who threw for 414 yards against Nevada in 2008. Rypien's 469 yards is also a Mountain West record for a freshman. Rypien now has 2,036 yards and 12 touchdowns in seven games. 

BONUS WINNER

North Texas and New Mexico State: Congratulations, Mean Green. You're no longer winless. North Texas beat UTSA 30-23 on Saturday.

Same goes to you, New Mexico State. The Aggies scored a dramatic 55-48 overtime win over Idaho. Here's how the game was won. NMSU was down 30-7 early in the third quarter at one point and came back to deny Idaho its third win of the season. 

The only winless teams that remain are UCF and Kansas. Will either get a win?

LOSERS

Dana Holgorsen: Once the pride of Morgantown and an Orange Bowl champion, this feels like a nadir for Holgorsen during his time at West Virginia. The Mountaineers are now 3-4 and winless in Big 12 play this season after a 40-10 blowout at the hands of TCU in Ft. Worth. Yes, TCU is very good, and yes, West Virginia’s schedule is front loaded in conference with Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU all out of the way already. Wins, and bowl eligibility may still come into focus in 2015, but Holgorsen’s frustration showed in the post game press conference, saying in no uncertain terms that he feels like he’s failing at his job. 

Nebraska: Right about now, Huskers fans have to wonder what they ever did to deserve this. Nebraska lost 55-45 to Purdue on Saturday, the lowest of low points in a season that’s included five, count them – five, heartbreaking, hard fought losses. And then they found themselves chasing the Boilermakers in Lafayette in a mostly empty stadium, and didn’t have enough in the tank to come all the way back. They are 3-6 with Michigan State, Rutgers, and Iowa still remaining. A 3-9 season seems entirely possible. 

Georgia's QB situation: The decision to start Faton Bauta against Florida did not work out. At all. Bauta completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw four interceptions in Georgia's 27-3 loss to Florida. The Bulldogs are out of contention for the SEC East now and it's unclear who the heck will be the Bulldogs' starting quarterback in the near future. Is it Greyson Lambert, who was benched for Bauta? Does Bauta keep the job? Does Georgia turn to Brice Ramsey, who served as the team's punter (yes, really) on Saturday?

Texas: Oh, this was bad. The Longhorns were shut out Saturday night by Iowa State 24-0. Texas barely had over 200 yards of total offense as both Tyrone Swoopes and Jarrod Heard struggled at quarterback. Swoopes was 6-13 for 59 yards passing while Heard was 6-9 for 26 yards and an interception. But hey, Swoopes was the leading rusher with 10 carries for 58 yards.

The loss means Texas is now 2-3 in the conference after consecutive wins against Oklahoma and Kansas State. The Longhorns likely win against Kansas next week to go to 4-5 overall, but bowl eligibility hinges on two wins against West Virginia, Texas Tech and Baylor. Another bowl berth didn't look too promising before Saturday night. But now? Ugh.

Texas Tech's defense: Are the Red Raiders trying to match 2014? Saturday's 70-53 loss to Oklahoma State was the third time this season Texas Tech has given up more than 60 points and the fourth time that the team has given up 55 or more. Brutal.

Tech is averaging 46 points per game itself but is giving up more than 40 per game. That's good for 121st in scoring defense. Consider Texas Tech the opposite of Missouri. If we combined Mizzou's defense (No. 5 in scoring defense) with Texas Tech's offense, this may be one of the best teams in college football. We shudder what to think a team with Missouri's offense and Tech's defense would look like, however.

Washington State kicker Eric Powell turned his back on Saturday’s potential game-winning kick before it sailed to the outside of the right upright.

After making five other kicks in the game, he seemed to know that when he hit the sixth it wasn’t going through the uprights. The result was Washington State losing a 30-28 heartbreaker to Stanford.

As Stanford players rushed the field, there was definitely a sense of relief. Washington State had the Cardinal on the ropes. For the first time since 2007 — the last time the Cougars defeated Stanford — the two teams actually went toe-to-toe and traded blows like equal competition.

The seven games prior to this were equal parts blowouts by the Stanford offense and suffocation by the Stanford defense. But this was a different, more determined Washington State team. And though it took a little while for the offense to get going — the first five Cougars scores were field goals — it dominated Stanford on both sides of the ball and frustrated an offense that had beaten its last four conference opponents by an average of 23.5 points per game.

Stanford scored the first field goal of the game, but then it was all Washington State, which took a 15-3 lead in the third quarter. However, the Cougars inefficiency in the red zone created an opening for Stanford, which scored the first touchdown of the game with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter.

Washington State seemed unfazed by the score and responded with a touchdown of its own.

But then, on its seventh possession, Washington State had to punt the ball and that’s when the game changed. Stanford scored a touchdown, forced a turnover, and then added two more touchdowns to take a 27-22 lead early in the fourth quarter. It was stunning, but the kind of response expected from a playoff-contending senior-laden team.

Washington State gained its bearings and scored a touchdown to go back on top. It forced a stop and was driving toward what could have been the game-sealing score when quarterback Luke Falk threw an interception on a screen pass. Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey used a 30-yard scamper to put the Cardinal in field goal position and coach David Shaw seemed content with three points as he whittled clock before a 19-yard chip shot with 1:54 remaining.

Washington State had one final chance to not only erase seven seasons of miserable losses at the hands of the Cardinal, but to challenge them in the Pac-12 North standings.

The final drive wasn’t pretty. Twice Falk had the ball come out of his hand after being hit and both were ruled incomplete passes. However, Falk also converted two fourth down passes, including a 23-yard bullet to Dom Williams that put the Cougars in field goal range.

But it was not to be.

While Washington State will be lamenting this loss, it actually should use it as a measuring stick for how far its program has come. It was a missed field goal away from upsetting a Stanford team that is in the hunt for not only a Pac-12 title, but also a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Washington State is 5-3 and hasn’t had a winning season since 2003. This is not a Washington State team that has had a lot of success, but there’s no doubt a game like this, even a loss, will makes this team better moving forward.

For more Washington State news, visit WazzouWatch.com.

For more Stanford news, visit CardinalSportsReport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

The final play between Miami and Duke on Saturday is one that will be debated and scrutinized as long as people have breath and interest in sports.

And what better way to relive that play than to listen to the home announcers, Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. of the Hurricanes Radio Network, express their shock and awe as an eight-lateral game-winning score unfolded before them.

Enjoy.

The Hurricanes used eight laterals on the final play of the game to score the game-winning touchdown against the Blue Devils. However, the play was wrought with controversy, including a potential knee down and what appeared to be several blocks in the back that officials declared — after a nine-minute review — never actually happened.

The ACC has yet to comment on the contest, but that should be coming soon. In the meantime, we can all just enjoy the pure emotion that finishes like that invoke.

Well, unless you’re a Duke fan.

For more Duke news, visit DevilsIllustrated.com.

For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

During Notre Dame’s 24-20 victory against Temple on Saturday, coach Brian Kelly was caught on the sideline grabbing and shoving assistant coach David Grimes.

Grimes, a former Irish wide receiver, was jawing with an official on the sideline when Kelly rushed over, grabbed him by his jacket and pushed him backward in what Kelly called an attempt to “control the sideline.”

"David was going to get us a 15-yard penalty," Kelly said during his postgame press conference. "I have to control the sideline. I wasn't going to let that happen. He got a little too close and I backed him up out of the way to make sure we didn't get a 15-yard penalty."

Notre Dame strength and conditioning coordinator Paul Longo stepped in between Kelly and Grimes to calm the situation, and senior defensive tackle Sheldon Day hugged Grimes and pulled him backward.

Grimes, who played for the Irish from 2005-08, has been an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Kelly since 2012.

For more Notre Dame news, visit BlueAndGold.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

Numbers and statistics are a huge part of college football. Every Sunday, reading updated box scores and stats is like Christmas for fans and media members. Some stats like total offense and total defense are overrated, but each help paint a picture for a team or particular game.

Whether the stats are historic, advanced or just an observation from a box score, Athlon Sports brings the most intriguing, important, historic and bizarre stats from around the weekend of college football action:

The ending to Saturday’s Miami-Duke matchup will be remembered as one of the craziest finishes to a game in recent memory. After the Blue Devils took a 27-24 lead with less than 10 seconds left, the Hurricanes scored the game-winning touchdown by using eight laterals on the kickoff return, with Corn Elder eventually breaking free down the sideline for a 91-yard score. While a Miami player appeared to have his knee on the ground before a lateral, as well as a missed block in the back, the touchdown was upheld on replay. 

Related: 10 Coaching Candidates to Replace Al Golden at Miami

123: Combined Points in Oklahoma State’s 70-53 Win Over Texas Tech

Saturday’s 70-53 thrilling victory by Oklahoma State over Texas Tech was the highest scoring game at the FBS level this season. The 123 combined points was also the fourth-highest scoring FBS game over the last 10 years. The Cowboys and Red Raiders combined for 61 first downs, 1,304 total yards and only eight punts.

3: 8-0 Big Ten Teams for the First Time Since 1903

Conference superiority is always a point of conversation among college football fans, and there’s no doubt the Big Ten is headed in the right direction since the end of the 2014 season. After nine weeks of action, the Big Ten has three 8-0 teams – Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa. According to the Big Ten Network’s Dave Revsine, that’s the first time the conference has three 8-0 teams for the first time since 1903.   

Related: College Football's Best Cheerleaders from Week 9

11: Completions by Florida QB Treon Harris in Last Two Games Against Georgia

Led by a strong defense and rushing attack, Florida earned its second consecutive victory over Georgia on Saturday. The Gators recorded a dominant 27-3 victory over the Bulldogs, with quarterback Treon Harris completing only 8 of 19 passes for 155 yards and one score. In the last two meetings against the Bulldogs (both victories), Harris has completed only 11 of 25 passes for 182 yards. Needless to say, the low completion totals won’t matter much to coach Jim McElwain. The only stat that matters to McElwain? Wins.

11: Turnovers by Notre Dame’s Offense in Red Zone Last Two Years

Notre Dame avoided Temple’s upset bid on Saturday night, using a 17-yard pass from quarterback DeShone Kizer to receiver Will Fuller with just two over minutes remaining to score a 24-20 victory. However, a glaring problem popped up once again for the Fighting Irish. The offense lost two turnovers in the red zone against the Owls, which increased Notre Dame’s total to 11 in that area over the last two years. The 11 turnovers is the most by any FBS team over the last two seasons. If the Fighting Irish want to contend for a playoff spot, giving away scoring opportunities inside the red zone simply can’t continue. 

Related: 5 Reasons Baylor Can Still Make the CFB Playoff With Jarrett Stidham at QB

0: Georgia Rushing Touchdowns the Last Three Weeks

It’s no secret Georgia misses running back Nick Chubb. Over the last three games, the Bulldogs have recorded 354 rushing yards, averaging only 3.7 yards per carry. Additionally, Georgia does not have a rushing score over its last three games. The Bulldogs have watched their rushing yardage total (165 to 120 to 69) decline over the last three weeks. Quarterback play is a huge issue for Georgia right now, but coach Mark Richt and coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have to find a way to generate more production from the ground attack.

1961: Last Time Texas Was Shutout by an Unranked Opponent

Texas appeared to be on the right track after wins over Oklahoma and Kansas State, but the Longhorns took a step back on Saturday. For the first time since 1961, Texas was shutout by an unranked opponent. The Longhorns were blanked 24-0 by Iowa State on Saturday, as the offense generated only 204 total yards, completed 12 of 22 passes and crossed midfield just two times. At 3-5 overall, Texas needs to win three out of its last four – Kansas, at West Virginia, Texas Tech and at Baylor – just to make a bowl this year.

77: Career Rushing Touchdowns by Navy QB Keenan Reynolds

Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds inched closer to the record books in Saturday’s 29-17 victory over South Florida. The senior quarterback completed 3 of 9 passes for 16 yards and rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts. The two rushing scores gave Reynolds 77 in his career, tying Wisconsin running back Montee Ball for the all-time record. The senior has 13 rushing scores this season and could break the record in the Week 10 showdown against Memphis. 

15 for 15: Cincinnati QB Gunner Kiel Completed All 15 Passes Against UCF

Injuries have prevented Cincinnati quarterback Gunner Kiel from building off last year’s season (31 TDs and 3,254 passing yards), but the junior has posted back-to-back 300-yard games and had a record-setting day against UCF on Saturday. Kiel completed all 15 of his passes for 319 yards and five touchdowns. The junior’s 15-for-15 performance was the most completions without an incompletion by a FBS player in the last 20 years. 

11: FBS Unbeatens Entering November

College football’s 2015 season has reached the final full month of action. And with just five overall weeks of games before the four playoff teams are decided, 11 unbeaten teams remain at the FBS level. The 11 unbeaten teams entering November is unusual. In 2013, eight teams had an unbeaten mark at the start of November and only three teams reached that level in 2014. 

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Watch for more rankings, previews and predictions from the good folks at Athlon here on Dr. Saturday. And don't forget to follow @YahooDrSaturday and @AthlonSports for all your college football information.

The ACC on Sunday acknowledged that officials made four major errors at the end of the contest that led to Miami’s stunning last-second win against Duke.

The Hurricanes used an eight-lateral play on the final kickoff return of the game to march down the field for the game-winning score, but the ACC claims that victory should have never been awarded to Miami because of the following errors:

- The replay official erred in not overturning the ruling on the field that the Miami player had released the ball prior to his knee being down. If called, this would have ended the game.

- The on-field officials erred by failing to penalize Miami for an illegal block in the back at the Miami 16-yard line. If called, the ball would have been placed at the Miami 8-yard line and the game would have been extended for an untimed down.

- A block in the back foul was called at the Duke 26-yard line. After the officials conferred, which is appropriate, they correctly determined that the block was from the side, which resulted in the flag being picked up. The replay official was not involved in the decision to pick up the flag; however, the referee did not effectively manage communication and properly explain why the flag was picked up.

- In addition, the on-field crew failed to penalize a Miami player for leaving the bench area and entering the field prior to the end of the play. This foul would not have negated the touchdown because it would have been enforced as a dead ball foul.

During the play, officials threw a flag on what looked like a block in the back and spent more than nine minutes speaking with replay officials about any possible infractions. In the end, the officiating crew declared the play legal and the touchdown stood.

The ACC also suspended the officiating crew for two games.

“The quality of our officiating program is of the highest importance to the league and its schools, and the last play of the game was not handled appropriately,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “Officiating is an extraordinarily difficult job but our players, coaches, programs and fans deserve the best that can be offered. We will continue to strive to meet that standard.”

Despite the acknowledgement of the errors, there was no statement that the ACC would reverse the outcome of the game.

Duke was still in the hunt for the ACC Coastal and a win would have kept the Blue Devils tied with North Carolina for the top of the division. Miami, which was playing in its first game without head coach Al Golden, was more or less out of the divisional race.

Miami, which was looking for anything positive after what has been a disappointing season, offered this response on Twitter:

For more Duke news, visit DevilsIllustrated.com.

For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer is retiring at the end of the season.

The longtime coach of the Hokies will leave his post after 29 seasons and he has the most wins of any current coach. Beamer became Virginia Tech's coach in 1987 and has taken the Hokies to a bowl game in every season since 1993.

"I have always said that ‘I want what is best for Virginia Tech,’” Beamer said in a school statement. “Because of my love and passion for this great university, this program and our tremendous fans, I have decided after 29 years that it’s time. Today, I informed [president] Dr. Timothy Sands and [athletic director] Whit Babcock of my decision to retire at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

“I was going to wait until the end of the season to make this announcement, but I’ve always believed in being open and honest with my players and coaches. I know Hokie Nation will continue to give our players and our coaches their full support in these last three games, and hopefully through a bowl game. I will be forever grateful to everyone who made these past three decades the best years of my life. It’s an emotional day for me and my family. I am so honored and humbled to have served as your head coach.

“I will speak about my retirement at my regular press conference tomorrow, and after that, my sole and absolute focus will return to coaching these players as best as I can and encouraging our coaches and staff who I care for so deeply.”

Beamer came to Virginia Tech from Murray State and has amassed a 234-120-2 record in his time at VT. He's won three ACC titles and three Big East crowns in his tenure at the school and in 1999 the Hokies (led by Michael Vick) lost to Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. The game served as the national championship that season. His teams' success have helped popularize the term "Beamerball." Under Beamer, Virginia Tech has become famous for its defensive and special teams touchdowns.

After eight-straight double-digit win seasons, Beamer's teams haven't won 10 or more games since 2011. At 3-5, Virginia Tech must win three of its final four games to make a bowl game for a 23rd season in a row.

And if you were wondering what active coach is No. 2 on the list behind Beamer for most victories, it's a tie. Missouri's Gary Pinkel and Kansas State's Bill Snyder have 190 wins. Alabama's Nick Saban has 189.

Beamer's retirement continues the coaching turnover in FBS. It means there will be nine vacancies in college football at the end of the season and he's the third high-profile coach to announce his retirement. South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and UCF's George O'Leary said they were retiring earlier in the year though their retirements were effective immediately. Minnesota's Jerry Kill retired immediately last week because of health reasons.

For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg