Inside the Boxscores is a weekly article by Matt Fargo that has been widely recognized as the best summary of college football. Take an in-depth look at each game and extract the most relevant information that will help you in future handicap games. College football is full of wacky plays, tricky scores, and unexpected endings. Fargo takes you inside the action.

(12) Clemson 63 TEMPLE 9

Temple led 3-0 on his first drive, but was outscored 559-189 the rest of the way as the Tigers posted 63 unanswered points. Clemson finished with 337 rushing yards on 45 carries (7.5 ypc) and scored touchdowns on his first eight possessions. The Tigers won a whopping 9.6 ypp and met with only five third downs on the night, converting four of them.

BOSTON COLLEGE 22 (22) Virginia Tech 3

Defenses were history here as Boston College outscored the Hokies 264-181 as neither team surpassed the century mark in runs. Virginia Tech entered Boston College territory only three times, while four turnovers led to 13 points for the Eagles. The Hokies finished just 3-16 on third- and fourth-down conversions. Boston College went a perfect 4-4 inside the red zone.

AIR FORCE 24 State of Colorado 21

Colorado St. took a 21-3 lead into halftime, but the Falcons dominated the second-half goal scoring three unanswered touchdowns to pull out the win from behind. After gaining 321 yards in the first half, the Rams were limited to 67 yards after halftime. Air Force fumbled on their first two possessions, both inside the red zone, and missed a field goal on their third drive.

Pittsburgh 52UCF 7

The Panthers returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back. Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on its next two Golden Knights turnover drives and scored 17 total points on errors. The Panthers were inside the Central Florida 10-yard line on their first eight possessions, scoring on seven of them with a missed field goal the only exception.

CONNECTICUT 21 Army 7

The Huskies scored their first touchdown on a 98-yard run and their second on a punt return to build a 14-0 first-quarter lead. The Black Knights cut the lead to seven points early in the fourth quarter, but Connecticut responded with an 80-yard touchdown run to clinch the win. Army had just 87 total yards in the first half, and with the exception of the long touchdown run, Connecticut had just 55 yards at halftime.

South Florida 37 NORTH CAROLINA 20

South Florida outscored the Tar Heels 417-285 and the Bulls rushed for 234 yards on 47 carries (5.0 ypc). Two second-quarter interceptions by North Carolina led to two brief touchdowns for South Florida, who scored 21 unanswered points to walk away. The Tar Heels forced two fumbles in the second half and the goal could only manage field goals on both possessions.

Wake Forest 25 NC STATE 23

NC State outscored the Deacons 334-266 but their return offer fell short with an interception at the Wake Forest 18-yard line with 45 seconds remaining. The Deacons nearly blew their second straight fourth-quarter lead, but a 53-yard field goal midway through the fourth period proved to be the difference. All three of Wake Forest’s field goals were 51 yards or more.

(25) WISCONSIN 48 Minnesota 12

Wisconsin started the scoring with a 50-yard fumble recovery and the offense scored touchdowns on five of its first seven possessions. The Gophers’ only touchdown came off a Badgers fumble at their own 27-yard line. Wisconsin limited Minnesota to 200 total yards, including just 63 yards in the second half. The Badgers were a perfect 5-5 inside the red zone and went 6-10 on third-down conversions.

Purdue 31 NORTHWEST 10

Purdue had 510 yards of offense and the score could have been worse, but the Boilermakers missed two scoring opportunities inside the red zone. Northwestern drove 80 yards for a touchdown on their first possession, but failed to get past Purdue’s 26-yard line the rest of the way. The Boilermakers had 448 receiving yards while the defense limited the Wildcats to just 83 receiving yards.

(5) WEST VIRGINIA 41 Syracuse 17

The Mountaineers had 562 yards of offense including 457 rushing yards on 45 carries (10.2 ypc). The Orange jumped ahead 7-0 and trailed by just three points at halftime, but West Virginia scored the first 24 points of the second half to get away. Syracuse scored its only points in the second half thanks to a fumble recovery and finished with just eight total yards in the second half.

INDIANA 31 (15) Iowa 28

Iowa outscored the Hoosiers 467-413 but the Hawkeyes missed two field goals and committed two turnovers inside the Indiana 30-yard line. Those four possessions totaled 233 yards of offense that resulted in no points. Indiana scored 14 points on turnovers on its first two touchdowns and finished the game 12-17 on third-down conversions. Indiana went a perfect 3-3 inside the red zone.

Vanderbilt 24 (16) GEORGIA 22

Georgia outscored the Commodores 373-291 but three possessions totaling 214 yards resulted in field goals. The Bulldogs missed a 38-yard field goal with just over five minutes remaining that would have extended the lead to four points. The Commodores took possession and killed five minutes on the clock before kicking the game-winning goal.

(23) OKLAHOMA 34 State of Iowa 9

Iowa St. scored late in the first quarter to close within seven points, but the Sooners’ defense took over, allowing just 158 ​​yards of offense over the final three quarters. Oklahoma gained 242 of its 380 total yards on its first five possessions as it built a 24-7 lead and never looked back. The Cyclones went just 1-12 on third-down conversions and finished with just 12 first downs.

State of Florida 51 DUKE 24

Florida St. returned a 36-yard fumble on the fourth play of the game and went on to win the game despite three interceptions on his last four possessions of the first half. The Seminoles scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions in the second half, three of which were drives of 80 yards or more. Duke finished with 307 total yards but only 52 rushing yards on 40 carries (1.3 ypc).

CENTRAL MICHIGAN 18 State of the ball 7

Central Michigan limited the Cardinals to just 213 total yards and 13 first downs while forcing five turnovers. Despite that, Ball St. trailed by just five points in the fourth quarter, but three fumbles and a turnover on downs at the Chippewas one-yard line on his four fourth-quarter possessions precluded any chance of victory. . Central Michigan was only 3-5 inside the red zone and was affected by 10 penalties.

(24) Rutgers 34 MARINO 0

Rutgers limited the nation’s top-ranked rushing offense to just 113 yards on 50 carries (2.3 ypc) as part of just 161 total yards and nine first downs. Navy crossed midfield only once, as they punted 11 times and turned it over three times in their own territory, once on a fumble and twice on fourth down. Rutgers had just 339 yards of offense, but took advantage of his average starting field position at his own 46-yard line.

Oklahoma State 42 KANSAS 32

Kansas jumped out to a 17-0 lead on three Cowboys fumbles, but Oklahoma St. scored 42 of the next 49 points to pull away. The Cowboys racked up 603 yards of offense and scored on big plays as they were inside the red zone only once in the entire game. The Jayhawks closed within three points midway through the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys scored on the next play to secure the win.

Arkansas State 26 MEMPHIS 23

The Indians pulled off the upset when they scored on a 53-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired. Arkansas St. had an 11-point halftime lead, but Memphis fought back and took the lead with 6:40 remaining, but couldn’t stop the Indians on their 73-yard scoring drive. Arkansas St. was very balanced with 216 rushing yards and 219 receiving yards as he controlled about 10 minutes over the clock.

WESTERN MICHIGAN 16 Northern Illinois 14

Western Michigan held the Huskies to 157 total yards and brought Northern Illinois’ potent rushing attack under control as they finished with zero net yards. The Huskies scored first on a blocked touchdown punt and the offense generated just 77 yards before their final scoring drive. Despite all that, the Broncos couldn’t walk away as they held just a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

WYOMING 31 Utah 15

Wyoming went ahead 31-0 when the defense held the Utes to just 144 total yards and eight first downs. Utah scored its first touchdown on a fumble return to score and closed out the game with its only offensive touchdown in garbage time. The Utes had four turnovers, including an interception that the Cowboys returned for a touchdown. Wyoming has just 100 rushing yards on 44 carries (2.3 ypc).

Tulsa 31 EAST CAROLINA 10

Tulsa outscored the Pirates 358-241 and had 234 rushing yards. The Golden Hurricane ran 21 more snaps and won the battle for time of possession by nearly 16 minutes. East Carolina was inside Tulsa territory on its last six possessions, but a missed field goal, fumble and turnover on opportunities killed three scoring opportunities. Tulsa put the game out by scoring on three of their last four possessions.

ems 31 marshall 21

Marshall led by four points early in the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs scored the last two touchdowns of the game, including the last one coming off a fumble. The Thundering Herd finished with four turnovers, three of which came in the fourth quarter on their last three drives of the game. Both teams went 8-14 on third-down conversions.

(18) OREGON 30 UCLA 20

Oregon outscored the Bruins 404-216 and scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. The score should have been much worse, but the Ducks had two turnovers leading to two UCLA touchdowns, missing a field goal and giving it up once. Oregon finished with 256 rushing yards on 43 carries (6.0 ypc) and held the Bruins to 104 yards on 30 carries (3.5 ypc).

Maryland 28 VIRGINIA 26

Virginia blew a 20-0 halftime lead when Maryland capitalized on several errors by the Cavaliers in the second half. Virginia fumbled at its own 1-yard line, setting up Maryland’s first touchdown, and the Terrapins also had a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown. Virginia came within two points, but missed the two-point conversion and never got the ball back.

(1) State of Ohio 38 STATE OF MICHIGAN 7

Ohio St. outscored the Spartans 421-198 and held Michigan St. scoreless to a garbage touchdown with just over a minute remaining. The Spartans had just 95 total yards through the first three quarters, while the Buckeyes also returned a punt for a score. Ohio St. went 10-16 on third-down conversions and went a perfect 5-5 inside the red zone. Michigan St. had seven possessions of four plays or less.