A gift arrives Saturday with a full slate of college football excitement set for Halloween. The on-field bedlam of this unpredictable season might just be matched by the -- shall we say -- colorful activity in the stands and tailgates.
So with that in mind, here are the season's five scariest statistics so far:
-- Temple's five-game winning streak: Absolutely shocking. This is the 5-2 Owls' longest run since the magical Garden State Bowl season of 1979 (Temple's last postseason trip). Yes, this is the same Temple program that entered this season with a 25-78 record this decade. And the one with a 22-88 mark in the 1990s. And the very same outfit with a 37-72 mark in the 1980s. Add it up and that's 84-238 for a mind-boggling .261 winning percentage over the last 30 years.
We could care less if the five wins were over the likes of Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Army and Toledo (combined record of 11-28). Coach Al Golden is college football's Houdini. And here are two best players you've never heard of: Owls freshman RB Bernard Pearce, who has 698 of his 766 yards rushing (14th in the nation) and 9 touchdowns during the streak, and sophomore LB Adrian Robinson who has five sacks and three forced fumbles in the last three wins.
-- Texas and Florida's third down defense: Want to know why the Longhorns and Gators look to be on a collision course for the BCS national title game (Sorry Alabama fans)? UT leads the nation in third-down defense with opponents converting only 22 of 99 chances (22.2 pct.) with the UF second at 23.4 pct. (23-of-98).
For all the complexities of football, nothing trumps taking the opponents' offense off the field. Maybe that's why the Gators and Longhorns have combined to win three of the last four BCS national titles.
-- Iowa's high-wire act: Yes, the Hawkeyes should not have to apologize for being 8-0 and ranked fourth in this week's BCS standings. But you also can't blame critics for being suspicious of their credentials.
After all, Iowa is 86th in the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game (a figure that falls to 22 ppg if you exclude a 35-3 rout of Iowa State last month). Of the 32 teams ranked below them in scoring, only three have winning records and only one (South Carolina) is ranked.
Then there's the Hawks' red zone defense, which has seen opponents score 16 times (8 TDs and 8 FGs) out of 17 chances inside the UI 20. These numbers must improve or Iowa will not get past No. 17 Ohio State Nov. 14 in Columbus.
-- Texas A&M LB Von Miller: An undersized junior heading into the season, the 6-3, 214-pound Miller has exploded leading the nation with 12-1/2 sacks (9 more than he had all of last season and a better total than 45 Division I teams have this season). Miller is on pace for 23 sacks, an amazing number but still four short of the late Derrick Thomas' all-time record of 27 at Alabama in 1988.
What's curious is that despite Miller's heroics, the Aggies' pass defense is shoddy at best ranking 108th in the nation at 259.4 yards per game (10 TD passes allowed with only four interceptions). Even in last week's 52-30 upset win at Texas Tech, the unit allowed 456 yards on 43 completions.
-- Western Kenutcky's losing streak: It's not just that the Hilltoppers, D-I newcomers, have lost 15 straight (longest in D-I) dating back to last season. It's that only two of the losses have been closer than 10 points with the average margin of defeat at 35-14. As SCTV's Count Floyd used to say, "That's scary, kids!'' There is some hope in Saturday's trip to 1-6 North Texas, who held off the Hilltoppers in a 51-40 shootout last year in Bowling Green.
UPSET PICK: Michigan State final-play choke job dropped us to .500 at 4-4. We'll get back on top when host South Florida jumps 3-1/2-point favorite West Virginia on Friday night.
GOING HOME AGAIN: With Syracuse (3-4) facing a wicked doubleheader (Cincinnati, at Pitt the next two weeks), a fairy-tale ending for Orange senior QB Greg Paulus, who returned to football this year after four years of basketball at Duke, appears unlikely. But a quick look at Paulus' numbers (65th in the nation in passing efficiency, 120-of-186 for 1,286 yards with 9 TD passes and 10 interceptions) and you gain some appreciation.
One spot below Paulus is none other than Ole Miss junior Jevon Snead, hyped heavily in the preseason as a Heisman contender. Down 11 spots is Washington's Jake Locker, jocked incessantly by the ESPN-draftniks as a first-round NFL pick. And way down at No. 99 is Illinois senior "Juice'' Williams, a second team All-Big Ten selection who led the league in passing and total offense last year.
For Paulus to be ranked ahead of these guys is no small feat. Remember that as he takes a beating down the stretch in his one-time shot at college football.
(E-mail John Lindsay at lindsayj(at)shns.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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