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.

STATE OF BOISE 42 State of Oregon 14

Oregon St. jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but then it was Boise St. the rest of the way as the Broncos scored the final 42 points of the game. The Broncos scored 407 yards of offense while the defense forced three turnovers that led to 14 points. The Beavers opened the game with an 85-yard touchdown drive, but only had 178 yards the rest of the way. Boise St. rushed for 302 yards on 42 carries (7.2 ypc).

Pittsburgh 33 CINCINNATI 15

Pittsburgh used two long touchdown passes in the third quarter to open a close game and hang on for the win. The Bearcats didn’t score until late in the third quarter thanks to a Panthers fumble that set up a one-yard, one-play touchdown drive. Cincinnati’s second touchdown also came from a turnover, while the Panthers’ final touchdown came via an interception return.

(11) MICHIGAN 41 Central Michigan 17

The Wolverines held the Chippewas to 204 yards of offense, including just 16 rushing yards on 21 carries (0.8 ypc). Michigan opened a 14-point game with the first 17 points in the second half to walk away. Michigan rushed for 252 yards on 50 carries (5.0 ypc) while winning the battle for time of possession by more than 13 minutes. The Wolverines finished a disappointing 3-13 on third-down conversions.

(14) Virginia Tech 35 NORTH CAROLINA 10

North Carolina actually outscored the Hokies 268-224, but the Tar Heels committed five turnovers that led to 21 Virginia Tech points. North Carolina took a 3-0 lead thanks to a long punt return, but he did not score again until late in the fourth quarter in garbage time. Four of Virginia Tech’s five touchdown drives were two plays or less, and that included an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Akron 20 NC STATE 17

The Zips pulled off the absolute upset by scoring a touchdown on the final play of the game. The Wolfpack took the lead with just over a minute to go, but Akron drove 67 yards to set up the winning score. In the fourth quarter, NC State had two more scoring opportunities, but fumbled at the Akron 33-yard line and also gave it up on chances at the Zips 4-yard line. The teams combined for 20 penalties.

RUTGER 33 Illinois 0

Rutgers limited Illinois to just 126 total yards and seven first downs, including just 66 rushing yards on 29 carries (2.3 ypc). The Scarlet Knights scored their first two touchdowns on a blocked punt and an interception return. Rutgers forced 10 punts with eight of Illinois’ last nine drives going 5 yards or less. The Illini went 0-12 on third-down conversions and didn’t cross midfield once the entire game.

(12) Louisville 62 TEMPLE 0

Louisville racked up 671 yards of offense and after being stopped on their first two drives, the Cardinals scored on their last 10 possessions. Temple finished with just 16 rushing yards on 27 carries (0.6 ypc) while generating just 230 total yards. The Owls got inside the Louisville 35-yard line four times, but were unable to score thanks to two turnovers and two failed fourth-down attempts.

FOREST OF AWAKENING 14 Duke 13

Duke outscored the Deacons 367-292 but the Blue Devils missed numerous opportunities. They missed a field goal, missed twice inside the Wake Forest 15-yard line, including once in the end zone, and then ended the game at the Deacons 11-yard line as time ran out. Overall, Duke was 1-5 inside the red zone. The teams combined for just 119 rushing yards and had 19 penalties between them.

(3) Auburn 34 MISSISSIPPI STATE 0

The Bulldogs failed to score for the second week in a row as the Tigers held Mississippi St. to just 161 yards of offense. Auburn went a perfect 5-5 inside the red zone despite fumbled at the Bulldogs’ 1-yard line after a 65-yard completion. Mississippi St. entered Auburn territory only twice, the last time resulting in a missed field goal as his only scoring opportunity.

MISSOURI 34 Ole Miss 7

Missouri outscored the Rebels 471-162 and the score could have been even worse. The Tigers missed two field goals, while the two attempts were just 22 and 23 yards. Ole Miss had only two drives of 25 or more yards on his first 13 possessions and was forced to punt 10 times. Missouri had a balanced offense with 218 rushing yards and 253 receiving yards.

PURDUE 38 Miami-Ohio 31

Purdue got away with it when they were outscored 483-391 and held the ball for more than 17 fewer minutes than the RedHawks. Miami was affected by two interceptions and went 3-5 inside the red zone. The Boilermakers scored the first touchdown in overtime and the defense was able to hold on during Miami’s possession. Purdue rushed for 171 yards on 28 carries (6.1 ypc) while holding Miami to 97 rushing yards on 37 carries (2.6 ypc).

ARMY 17 Kent State 14

Army led with 186 total yards on their first three possessions, but the Golden Flashes toughened it up, holding the Black Knights to just 84 yards the rest of the way. Kent scored the only touchdown of the second half to force overtime, but a fumble in his possession opened the door for Army. In the second half, the Golden Flashes missed a 23-yard field goal and gave it up on opportunities at the Army two-yard line.

BOWLING GREEN 48 Buffalo 40

Bowling Green outscored the Bulls 570-243, but needed a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to tie it and three overtime for the win. The Falcons blocked a short field goal and also gave it up on chances at Buffalo’s 7-yard line that robbed them of two scoring opportunities. The Bulls took the lead in the second overtime but blocked their PAT and then blocked the Falcons’ conversion attempt to force the third overtime.

Ohio U 35 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 23

Ohio scored 509 yards of offense and although the defense allowed the Huskies 462 yards, it stopped them on opportunities twice in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats scored on three straight possessions, turning a 10-point deficit into an 11-point lead late in the third quarter. Ohio won the battle for time of possession by more than 14 minutes despite the Huskies rushing for 201 yards on 26 carries (7.7 ypc).

AL 13 Vanderbilt 10

Alabama outscored the Commodores 341-235, but was still down a touchdown early in the third quarter. Vanderbilt scored all 10 points on turnovers and had only one drive of more than 37 yards. The Tide had the ball for about 13 more minutes and ran 22 more plays, but Alabama had two turnovers inside the red zone and also missed opportunities at the Vanderbilt 22-yard line.

(23) UNIVERSITY OF BOSTON 34 Clemson 33

Boston College blocked the Tigers’ PAT in the second overtime for the unlikely victory. Clemson outscored the Eagles 479-322, but Boston College tied the game in the third quarter after returning the second-half kickoff for a touchdown. Overall, the Eagles had 228 return yards that created a shortstop on numerous drives. Both teams converted 50 percent of their third-down conversion attempts.

STATE OF MICHIGAN 52 Eastern Michigan 20

Michigan St. opened a close game by scoring the last 28 points of the game. The Spartans had 586 yards of offense including 264 rushing yards on 40 carries (6.6 ypc). Eastern Michigan mustered only 42 rushing yards on 28 carries (1.5 ypc). The Spartans were a perfect 7-7 inside the red zone while going 10-13 on third-down conversions. All of Michigan St.’s touchdown drives were 55 yards or more.

(2) NOTRE DAME 41 (25) Penn State 17

The Irish outscored Penn St. by just 14 total yards, but 172 of the Nittany Lions’ 383 yards came on their last two drives when the game was almost over. Notre Dame scored 17 points on turnovers, including a fumble recovery to score. The Irish were only 5-14 on third down but went a perfect 4-4 on fourth down attempts. Penn St. was inside Notre Dame’s 40-yard line on four straight possessions but left with no points.

(15) OKLAHOMA 37 Washington 20

Oklahoma opened a tied ball game by scoring the first 24 points in the second half. The Sooners just outscored Washington 453-384, but forced two short field goals and also recovered an eight-yard fumble that stopped the Huskies on fourth down at the 20-yard line. Washington was able to rush for 204 yards on 40 carries ( 5.1 ypc) but completed just 14 of 30 passes.

(16) Iowa 20 SYRACUSE 13

Syracuse benefited from a pass interference penalty that set up the game-tying field goal in regulation, but the Hawkeyes’ defense stiffened in second overtime. The oranges had seven opportunities to score from the two-yard line, but they did not succeed. Iowa outscored Syracuse 351-280 but the Hawkeyes threw four interceptions, three of which came in Orange territory. Syracuse rushed for just 70 yards on 44 carries (1.6 ypc).

VIRGINIA 13 Wyoming 12

Wyoming outscored Virginia 313-206, but an extra point lost in overtime ended up being the difference. The Cowboys had a costly fumble in the Cavaliers’ end zone to open the second half. Virginia was able to tie the score late in the third quarter thanks to a blocked punt. The Cavaliers rushed for just 32 yards on 22 carries (1.5 ypc) while 60 of the Cowboys’ yards came on two false punts.

WASHINGTON ST 56 Idaho 10

The Cougars had 637 yards of offense including 344 rushing yards on 43 carries (8.0 ypc). The Vandals managed just 83 rushing yards on 32 carries (2.6 ypc) while 151 of their 303 total yards came on two of their last three drives of the game. The score could have been much worse, but Washington St. missed three chances inside the red zone with two missed field goals and a fumble.

BYU 49 Tulsa 24

BYU outscored Tulsa 467-303 and scored 21 straight points in the third and fourth quarters to pull away. The Cougars rushed for 227 yards on 42 carries (5.4 ypc) while holding the Golden Hurricane to 82 yards on 31 carries (2.6 ypc). BYU went a perfect 6-6 inside the red zone and went 9-14 on third- and fourth-down conversions. The only negative for the Cougars was committing 11 penalties for 90 yards.

STATE OF COLORADO 14 Colorado 10

Colorado managed just 146 total yards and nine first downs, including just 18 yards of offense in the second half. The Rams missed two scoring opportunities inside the red zone that kept the game closer than it should have been. The Buffaloes punted the ball with 3:33 remaining and the Rams were able to run out the clock. Colorado St. finished with just 15 rushing yards on 34 carries (0.4 ypc).

(7) FLORIDA 42 UCF 0

The Gators dominated from start to finish as they outscored Central Florida 637-153. The score should have been much worse, but Florida had four turnovers. The Golden Knights punted on all seven possessions in the first half and nine times overall. Florida was 10-14 on third-down conversions and preserved the shutout by stopping Central Florida at the six-yard line with time running out.