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The Bottom Ten/NCAA Week 5
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Welcome to the Bottom Ten where, evidently, on any given Saturday any given team can lose to anyone else as for the fifth time this season the nation's longest losing streak (NLLS) was snapped! We are not making that up, as UAB, holders of the NLLS for all of one (1) week, beat dreaded Alabama St., paving the way for Army and UTEP, both losers of nine straight, to claim the NLLS mantle.
This week's mess:
1. War Department (0-3; lost to Akron 22-3; Navy: defeats Rutgers 23-21)
Mitigating Factors: Offense takes command, turning the ball over seven times, leading to 17 Akron points…Army now tied for NLLS having lost nine straight…Army ranks Dead Last- or first, depending on how you look at it - in NCAA with ten (10) Fumbles Lost...Navy 2-2, but Midshipmen need late rally to beat lousy Rutgers team, and other win came against 1-3, FCS Towson.
And The Army Goes Rolling Along: Army 0-3 for sixth time this century, and has had a 13-game, 9-game and four six-game in-season losing streaks in Double Aughts.
Next Losses: Army: at Texas A&M; Navy: at Wake Forest
2. UTEP (0-3; Lost to New Mexico State 34-33)
Mitigating Factors: Offense not too bad, but defense lighting way for Miners, ranking 112th in Scoring Defense (39.33 ppg), and giving up 42.1 ppg during current, nation's best nine-game skid…Miners show fortitude that wins B-10 titles, blowing leads of 10-0, 27-21 and 33-28.
By The Numbers: Nine-game losing streak longest since ten-game skid in 1996-97.
Next Loss: Central Florida
3. St. Anselm (0-3; Lost to Pace 15-14)
Mitigating Factors: With win by Oklahoma Panhandle Saturday, Div. II Hawks now holder of Continental Cup, with North American-best 28-game losing streak…Without annoying tee vee timeouts, lots of touchdowns, game takes less than two-and-a-half hours to play…Pace University's nickname is, and we are not making this up, the Setters…Their mascot is some sort of dog.
Dry, Technical Matter: St. Anselm was an 11th century theologian and philosopher, a former Abbot of Bec and was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1109.
Next Loss: at Assumption
4. Holy Trinity (Notre Dame, SMU, Wisconsin Lutheran; ND: lost to Michigan State 27-3; SMU: lost to TCU 48-7; Wisconsin Lutheran: defeated St. Scholastica 36-29.
Mitigating Factors: Irish rush for 16-yards, are penalized for 24, for 1.5-to-1 Penalty Yards to Rushing Yards ratio…SMU is actually worse at running the football than Irish - as if that's possible - rushing for minus-eight yards vs. TCU and ranking Dead Last in NCAA in Rushing Offense (31.25 ypg)…Wisconsin Lutheran's win comes against team whose all-time record is now 0-1-0.
Hey, What About Us? SMU defense isn't any good either, ranking Dead Last in Total Defense (530.5 ypg)
Next Loss: Notre Dame: vs. Purdue; SMU: at Tulane (9/25); Wisconsin Lutheran: at Concordia (Chicago)
6. Kent St (1-3; lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 44-27)
Mitigating Factors: After breaking NLLS last week with rare, morale-depleting win, Kent St. flashes into new losing streak, giving up 667 total yards, including 414 on the ground…Defensive performance shoots Golden Flashes up NCAA stat charts, with Flashes now ranking 113th in Rushing Defense (225.75 ypg) and 104th in Total Defense (430.75 ypg)
Drive Chart: Offense does its part, mustering nine (9) drives of three or fewer plays.
Next Loss: at Ball State
7. Idaho (1-3; lost to Utah St. 42-17)
Mitigating Factors: Vandals show early interest, tied 7-7 at the half, but take charge in second half and get outscored 35-10 including 21-0 in fourth quarter…Vandals rank Dead Last in Scoring Defense (47.5 ppg) and 115th in Total Defense (478.5 ppg).
Commitment t To Excellence: Last win against real, major college football team was 10/14/06 at Louisiana Tech, and Idaho has not beaten a FBS team that finished season with winning record since 1998.
Next Loss: at San Diego State
8. Temple (1-3; lost to Penn St. 45-3)
Mitigating Factors: Former B-10 perennial trying to rebound from four (4) win season in 2007 and return to form that produced four (4) wins from 2003-06…Thinking game was being played under experimental, game-is-one-quarter-long rule, Owls scrap for 0-0 tie after one, get blown out 31-0 in second quarter…With 61 penalty yards and 16 rushing yards, Owls have NCAA-best 3.81-to-1 Penalty Yards to Rushing Yards ratio.
OTOH: Probably because they return so many of them, Owls lead nation in Kickoff Returns, averaging 34.53 yards per return.
Next Loss: Western Michigan
9. Florida International (0-3; lost to South Florida 17-9)
Mitigating Factors: Preseason faves return from bye week so well rested they sleepwalk through first three quarters, before scoring nine points in fourth quarter…First six FIU drives end in punts…Matters improve somewhat in third quarter when the seventh results in an interception…Nine point outburst bumps per game scoring average from NCAA-worst 5.0 points per game to NCAA-worst 6.33 ppg.
FunFact: Golden Panthers safety earns team first happy faces on playbook this season.
Next Loss: at Toledo
10. Conference USA (7-29 non-conference)
Mitigating Factors: Five of conferences 12 teams have lost at least two games and seven of twelve have losing records.
FunFact: The last victories by the teams with the current NLLS - Army and UTEP - have come against Conference USA schools Tulane and Tulsa.
Next Loss: All Star game with Sun Belt Conference
This Week's Clash of the Titans: Idaho at San Diego State
This One Isn't Going To Be Any Good Either: North Texas at Rice
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