Week eight of the college football season offered several memorable moments.
Perhaps the biggest play of the weekend was the blocked kick that ended Georgia Tech’s 22-16 upset victory over No. 9 Florida State as the Seminoles (6-1, 4-1) were going for the Atlantic Coast Conference win.
Lance Austin of Georgia Tech returned the blocked 56-yard effort by Florida State’s Roberto Aguayo for the game-winning score. Austin’s 78-yard run back moved the Yellow Jackets to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the ACC.
There were also a pair of contests that needed four overtimes to determine an outcome.
Duke picked up a 45-43 win over ACC foe Virginia Tech (3-5, 1-3). In the final extra session, the No. 23 Blue Devils were down 43-37 when Thomas Sirk tossed a 25-yard scoring pass to Erich Schneider to tie the game. Sirk then ran for the two-point conversion to give the Blue Devils (6-1, 3-0) the victory. Sirk threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 109 yards.
Although neither squad is ranked, Arkansas outlasted Auburn in a Southeastern Conference affair to post a 54-46 win in the fourth overtime.
Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen started the final overtime with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Drew Morgan for what turned out to be the game-winning score. The Razorbacks (3-4, 2-2) responded by not allowing the Tigers (4-3, 1-3) to gain a first down in their four plays to seal the win.
The American
The American Athletic Conference began the week with three ranked teams and all of them managed to earn road victories.
No. 18 Memphis (7-0, 3-0) got a solid performance from Paxton Lynch as he threw for 447 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers won 66-42 over Tulsa (3-4, 0-3).
Kenneth Farrow of Houston (7-0, 4-0) gained 167 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead No. 21 Cougars to a 59-10 win over Central Florida (0-8, 0-4).
No. 22 Temple (7-0, 4-0) only had 66 yards rushing from Jahad Thomas, but he scored twice as the Owls won 24-14 over East Carolina (4-4, 2-2).
Top 25 Contest
In the only match-up of ranked teams, No. 24 Mississippi won 23-3 at home over No. 15 Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2).
Chad Kelly led the Rebels (6-2, 2-1) as he completed 26-of-41 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Gary Wunderlich booted three field goals for Mississippi.
Another Winning Kick
For the second straight week, Pittsburgh’s Chris Blewitt kicked a game-winning field goal for the No. 25 Panthers (6-1, 4-0).
Trailing ACC opponent Syracuse (3-4, 1-2) at halftime 17-13, Pittsburgh responded to post a 23-20 win. Qadree Ollison ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers.
Last week, Blewitt kicked a 56-yarder in Pittsburgh’s win over Georgia Tech.
Cameron Smith
PAC-12 Upsets
A pair of ranked squads from the PAC-12 fell to conference opponents.
Southern Cal’s Cameron Smith picked off three passes thrown by Utah’s Travis Wilson to lead the Trojans (4-3, 2-2) to a 40-24 win over the Utes (6-1, 3-1).
Utah led 14-7 after one period, but USC scored three times in the second stanza to build a 28-17 advantage by the intermission. Smith capped the quarter for the Trojans as he scored on a 54-yard interception return.
No. 20 California (5-2, 2-2) dropped a 40-24 decision to UCLA (5-2, 2-2). Josh Rosen completed 34-of-47 passes for 399 yards and three touchdowns for the Bruins.
Five Touchdowns
No. 19 Toledo trailed 28-10 at halftime of its Mid-American Conference tilt at Massachusetts (1-6, 0-3).
However in the second half, the Rockets (7-0, 4-0) finally launched to win 51-35.
Toledo’s Phillip Ely was 26-of-47 for 355 yards and five touchdowns, with four of them in th second half.
Washington State quarterback Luke Falk continued his successful season as he connected on 47-of 62 pass attempts for 514 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Cougars to a 45-42 win at Arizona (5-3, 2-3).
Gabe Marks caught eight passes for the Cougars (5-2, 3-1) in the PAC-12 contest gaining 97 yards with four touchdowns.
Editor’s note: Quotes, photos and logos courtesy of CollegePressBox.com.