Jinx Caps Baylor, Only A Week Late

Duke survives an early scare but roars back to a convincing 28-21 ACC win over a tough Wake Forest team.  Trailing 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter, the Dookies behind QB Anthony Boone's two TD passes tie the score before halftime.  After surrendering the lead again to start the 3rd quarter, Boone heaves a 58-yd. bomb to WR Jamison Crowder for his 3rd TD on a day in which he's 24-of-29 through the air.  The Blue Devils can thank the Demon Deacons for turnovers on their final two possessions, which seals the deal for Duke.  Now it's on the road to Chapel Hill to meet the 6-5 Tar Heels for a chance to play Florida State in the ACC Championship.

Baylor's Bears?  Not so much.  They get trounced 49-17 by a very well-prepared Oke State team with upset in their veins.  With RB Lache Seastrunk unavailable because of injury, replacement Shock Linwood manages only 29 yards on 14 carries and fumbles twice.  The Cowboys' 21-point blitz in the 3rd stanza forces Baylor into a shooting match, and while Heisman candidate Bryce Petty throws for 359 yds. and two TDs, he trips over his own feet en route to a score.  That's followed by one of Linwood's fumbles, and late in the game when a long snap sails over Petty's head, the Baylor national championship dream turns into a nightmare.  What's left for Baylor?  Only two more tough games (TCU and Texas) and one last chance to reclaim their position as one of the great success stories of 2013.

Here's how the rest of the extended weekend went in Week #13:

UNLV 41, Air Force 21.  Snow and cold cancel out the altitude, as the Falcons fall behind 21-0 in the first quarter and never recover.  Air Force simply can't contain RB Tim Cornett, whose 220 yds. of rushing and 4 TDs pace the Rebels, who notch their sixth win of the season for the first time since 2003.  When not chasing Cornett, the AFA defense is watching QB Caleb Herring run for 141 yds. and pass for 56 more.  Falcon QB Nate Romine manages to complete just three passes, one of which is a touchdown to Alex Ludowig.  The Academy looks ahead to its last game, the traditional rivalry with Colorado State, affectionately known among some of us as the Chris Haskell Bowl.

Navy 58, San Jose State 52 (3OT).  An FBS-record seven (count 'em...SEVEN) rushing touchdowns by Keenan Reynolds, and the Middies make me look good.  Even though he adds an eighth through the air, Reynolds isn't the only QB to make news.  The Spartans' David Fales is 42-of-56 for 440 yds. and five TDs of his own.  Now it's a well-earned two-week vacation as the Mids ready themselves for Army.

Notre Dame 23, BYU 13.  Steady snowfall and swirling winds play havoc with both squads in a tough match.  No sign of Everett Golson, as QB Tommy Rees leads the Irish with 235 yards of passing, one TD and one INT.  The Cougars counter with Taysom Hill, who is more efficient but manages no more scores than Rees.  Game comes down to placekickers, with Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza outbooting BYU's Justin Sorensen three scores to two.

#23 USC 47, Colorado 29.  South Bend isn't the only place with cold weather.  In Boulder the temperature is 29 degrees at game time.  Trojans hold Colorado scoreless in first half, then their subs hold off a Buffalo rally featuring two TD passes by QB Sefo Liufau.  Chalk up another recommendation for Ed Orgeron to turn the tag "interim" into "permanent".  What's a guy gotta do to keep his job, anyway?  Beat UCLA or something?  Stay tuned...

And one wonders why they lost

Boston College 29 , Maryland 26.  Eagles make good on another Smack prediction as they pull out a victory over the Terps on the strength of a last-second Nate Freese field goal.  Once again the difference maker for BC is RB Andre Williams, who runs 32 times for 263 yards and two TDs.  The Eagle defense holds Maryland to just 278 total yards.

Arizona 42, #12 Oregon 16.  Apparently they play decent football in Arizona after all.  Led by Ka'Deem Carey (48 carries, 206 yds., 4 TDs), the Wildcats dominate Oregon offensively.  QB B. J. Denker is uber-efficient (19-of-22 passing, 7.3 yds./carry rushing).  Duck QB Marcus Mariota puts up good numbers but is intercepted for the first time since last season, and not once but twice.  Arizona holds the ball for over 35 minutes and simply punches Oregon repeatedly in the mouth en route to the upset.

Name this famous GSU alumnus

Arkansas State 35, Georgia State 33.  This is one gutsy group of Panthers.  Forget about 0-11, I'm going out on a limb right now and picking them to finish with a win over South Alabama next week.  Hell, I may even try to find ESPN3 somewhere and watch in myself.  After all, a Panther win, while "illegal in nine countries", has "a formidable scent" that "60% of the time, it works every time."  (Anchorman fans, I salute you.)