How USF Opponents Fared, Week 5

Those of you who followed the "worse playcall than Voodoo Five" teaser are dying to know, so let's cover that one first. Jump to 0:40 in this highlight video:

OMG, SOUTHERN MISS CALLED VOODOO FIVE. IN A FREAKING RAINSTORM HA HA HA HA HA. On 4th-and-5 from the Louisville 25 yard line. With one minute to play. Trailing by only four points.

As Biblically bad a decision as Voodoo Five was at UConn, note that our history of it doesn't say "it was raining and ball handling was a gamelong issue" or "we wouldn't get the ball back if it failed" or "it cost us a game against a hated rival" or "this was a new head coach who didn't have credibility with the fan base." I submit to you that Ellis Johnson didn't just duplicate the worst playcall in USF history; he found four ways to make it worse. I hereby set the over-under date on his firing at December 9, 2013.

As for the USF opponent, LOUISVILLE (5-0, 0-0 Big East) once again fell behind a non-BCS team and struggled to win. But this time they had weather to blame: their 21-17 win over Southern Miss was played in a downpour with standing puddles on the field. (And when was the last time you saw standing puddles on a football field? It's like something out of the 1980s.)

USF's other opponents:

CHATTANOOGA (2-3, 1-1 Southern Conference) beat The Citadel 28-10. The Mocs' four scores in this game came on drives of 78, 82, 85, and 85 (again) yards.

NEVADA (4-1, 1-0 Mountain West) won 34-21 at I-A newbie Texas State. Wolf Pack sophomore QB Cody Fajardo puts up 300 yard passing/100 yard rushing games so consistently that I can already see him going way too early in the 2015 NFL Draft. I'm thinking Browns or Dolphins.

BALL STATE (3-2, 1-1 MAC) validated their win over USF by losing to Kent State, 45-43 on a last-second field goal. Willie Snead, who scored the game-winner last week against USF, had 216 yards and two touchdowns. Kent State might actually be a bowl team this season; they've got 3 wins already, and most MAC teams are worse than Kent State usually is.

CONNECTICUT (3-2, 0-0 Big East) beat Buffalo 24-17 in what I'm sure was a very dull game.

MIAMI (4-1 3-0 ACC) won another wacky ACC shootout, 44-37 over North Carolina State. Canes QB Stephen Morris threw for an insane 566 yards passing, including this 62-yard bomb that won it with 20 seconds in regulation. Seriously, NC State, how do you let a guy get that wide open late in a tie game?

In another exciting finish, CINCINNATI (3-0, 1-0 Big East) defeated Virginia Tech 27-24 in a neutral-site game at the Redskins' stadium. Munchie Legaux threw a 39-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds to play.

RUTGERS (4-0, 1-0 Big East), TEMPLE (1-2, 0-0 Big East), SYRACUSE (1-3, 0-0 Big East), and PITTSBURGH (0-1, 2-2 Big East) were off this week.