STAT WATCH: Air Force on pace for 3rd rushing title in row

Air Force has reached the midway level of the season properly on its technique to profitable its third straight nationwide rushing title, and Ohio State is on pace to be the highest scoring group once more.

The Falcons are working for 352.7 yards per sport and sure will common greater than 300 per sport for a 3rd 12 months in a row. Their triple-option offense hasn’t ranked decrease than fourth in rushing since 2014.

Ohio State is averaging 48.8 factors per sport and has scored at the least 45 in 5 straight. The Buckeyes’ diploma of issue will increase with Iowa and Penn State up subsequent.

Texas Tech moved from fourth to first in passing yards per sport (365.2) after throwing for 379 in a loss to Oklahoma State.

Tennessee is in its third straight week as the full offense chief. The Volunteers had 502 yards in opposition to LSU, their second-lowest whole of the season, however are nonetheless averaging 547.8 per sport.

On the defensive aspect, Illinois’s 9-6 win over Iowa marked the third time in six video games it’s held an opponent to 6 or fewer factors. That lowered its common to a nation-best 8.0 per sport.

Minnesota, idle Saturday, moved previous James Madison to guide the nation in whole protection at 222 yards per sport. James Madison is first in rushing protection at 42 yards per sport and Boise State is giving up a nation-low 134.3 passing yards per sport.

Illinois’ Chase Brown stays the chief in rushing yards with 879 following his seventh straight 100-yard sport, however UAB’s DeWayne McBride crossed the NCAA threshold of getting performed in 75% of his group’s video games and has the highest common of 160.3 yards per sport. Brown is second at 146.5.

Mississippi State’s Will Rogers is first in passing yards at 351.7 per sport. Old Dominion’s Ali Jennings III and SMU’s Rashee Rice are neck-and-neck for most receiving yards per sport, with Jennings averaging 137.6 and Rice 137.4.

300 GAME

Israel Abanikanda of Pittsburgh turned the primary 300-yard rusher since 2020 when he went for a school-record 320 on 36 carries in opposition to Virginia Tech.

Abanikanda beat the earlier Pitt document of 303 yards by Tony Dorsett in 1975 in opposition to Notre Dame. Abanikanda’s six touchdowns tied the college and Atlantic Coast Conference information.

His huge outing got here per week after he left the sport in opposition to Georgia Tech in the second quarter due to a shoulder harm.

The earlier Bowl Subdivision participant to go over 300 was Ohio State’s Trey Sermon, who had 331 on 29 carries in opposition to Northwestern in 2020.

BALL HAWK

Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell turned the primary FBS participant since 2006 to intercept 4 passes in a sport, in line with Sportradar. He ran again two of them for touchdowns in the Rockets’ 52-32 win at Northern Illinois.

Mitchell entered the sport with no interceptions in 24 profession video games. All 4 occurred inside NIU’s first seven possessions.

He had three in the primary half, returning the primary one 20 yards for a landing and the second 25 for a rating. His third interception was in the tip zone as NIU threatened to attain late in the half, and he picked off Ethan Hampton once more on the Huskies’ first sequence of the third quarter.

The earlier participant with 4 interceptions was Middle Tennessee State’s Damon Nickson, who did it in 2006 in opposition to Louisiana.

TURNING THE TIDE

Alabama’s 4 turnovers in opposition to Texas A&M had been its most in a win because it had the identical quantity in a 42-21 victory over Florida in 2014. The Crimson Tide have received seven of the 12 video games in which it has had at the least 4 turnovers since 2000, in line with Sportradar.

The Tide had entered the sport tied with Miami (Ohio) for fewest turnovers since 2017 amongst groups which were in the FBS since then. They now have 69 and are behind Miami (66) and Army (68).

FIRST ONE’S A GOOD ONE

Jayce Rogers returned a kickoff for the primary time since he transferred to Houston final 12 months, and he took all of it the best way.

Rogers’ 100-yard return got here in the fourth quarter of the Cougars’ 33-32 win over Memphis and was their 18th kick return for a landing since 2008.

Rogers ran again kicks for Northwest Mississippi Community College previous to becoming a member of the Cougars and had one return for a landing.

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