Did Y’all See That? Week 12 Edition

Look. I’m going to level with you here. This week in college football was very, very boring. Mike Leach didn’t get a fake mustache put on him, Mike Gundy didn’t say anything stupid about transfers and Rutgers only got beat by a normal margin (which, I guess, could be considered exciting).

But that doesn’t mean there still weren’t things to see from this week. So gather round your Thanksgiving table, spoon a much-too-big helping of sweet potato pie on your plate, turn to the cousin you see once every two years and ask: “Did y’all see that?”

Did Y’all See: The Iowa-Illinois score?

When you think of Iowa and Illinois football playing each other, what comes to mind? Two yards and a cloud of dust? Sweatshirt-clad Midwesterners drinking corn liquor? The most boring, bland style of football this side of the Mississippi? (Actually, the Mississippi runs between the two states. But I already wrote this joke and wasn’t about to change it for geography’s sake.)

Well, reader, Iowa put up 63 American points on Illinois. And in return, to keep pace with the high-flying, Harlem Globetrotter-esque Iowa offense, Illinois scored...zero. Zilch. None.

I’ve stared at my computer trying to make a Lovie Smith pun based on “love” meaning zero in tennis. I’ve got nothing. Leave your best attempt in the comments below. Do my work for me.

Did Y’all See: What UConn’s defense is like this season?

The Master and Commander of football statistics, Bill Connelly, wrote about this at length on our mothership site — check it out here — but it’s worth mentioning again. Besides, if you’re not actively seeking out that hot UConn #content (Conn-tent, if you will), you probably missed this.

UConn is on pace to have the worst defense since 1995 UNLV. The Huskies are allowing more than 600 yards per game and have allowed at least 49 points in nine of their eleven games. Those numbers almost don’t even make sense. Seriously, go read Bill’s piece. You’ll want to take a sad nap afterward.

Did Y’all See: The Wisconsin-Purdue game?

No, seriously — did y’all?

This is weird to me. The Badgers and Boilermakers played a triple-overtime thriller that Wisconsin won 47-44. I consume a tremendous amount of college football news and content, and I can’t remember seeing anything about this game. Wisconsin was a Top 10 team coming into this year! Purdue beat Ohio State!

Maybe it’s just me, and I missed the hullabaloo. But it does seem strange that we aren’t talking about this game more. And I don’t say that often about Purdue football.

Did Y’all See: Syracuse’s Sad Field Goal?

The hopes of the college football world rested on Syracuse Saturday to hand Notre Dame its first loss. The Orange were ranked No. 12 in the country and held an 8-3 record. The spirit of Red Grange himself flowed through the Syracuse program.

Anyway, the Orange got boatraced 36-3, because we can never have nice things and the moral arc of the universe bends towards Notre Dame puling wins out of its collective tuckus. But it’s that three points that we need to focus on.

Syrcuase trailed 36-0 with 10 seconds left in a game played at Yankee Stadium, and the Orange had the ball at the Notre Dame 10, fourth and goal to go. Obviously, a win was out of the cards here. But instead of valiantly trying for the end zone, Syracuse kicked a 28-yard field goal to prevent the shutout, earning boos from the Notre Dame faithful, who were all conveniently located in their hometown of New York City.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but — I’m with the Notre Dame fans here. Sad Field Goals, which teams use to prevent shutouts, are the coward’s way out. Go down in flames with honor, Syracuse. People remember Icarus. Nobody remembers Icarus’ dad.

Did Y’all See: The Nebraska-Michigan State score?

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.