Last Saturday was a record-setting day as Hodges led No. 10 Texas Tech to their best start since 1998. Hodges has had a phenomenal year. However, his biggest game so far was last week against Kansas State. Hodges completed 44 of 65 attempts for 643 yards and five touchdowns. This is the fourth-highest yardage total in Division I history and the second time in two years that a Tech quarterback has thrown for 600 yards. The last time came in 2003 when B.J. Symons threw for 661 yards against Mississippi. During the game, Hodges also threw to Joel Filani for 255 yards on 10 catches for a new Big XII record. The next opponent Hodges and his Red Raiders will face is No. 2 Texas in Austin.
Last Saturday there were many great finishes. However, the most impressive was the comeback by the No.1 USC Trojans. Heisman candidate Matt Leinart \pulled a Stocco"" and ran into the end zone with seven seconds left to beat Notre Dame 34-31. Thus continued USC's 28-game winning streak. This game really showed the versatility of the Trojans. It showed that they were not just pure talent that could run away with every game, but that they could compete in a close game on both sides of the ball. This game proved that the Trojans are for real and they are prime candidates to win the BCS Championship in January.
Leak had a very unimpressive performance against the LSU Tigers last Saturday. He went 11-of-30 for only 107 yards. He was sacked four times during the game and repeatedly hurried on his throws. Not all of this was his fault; his offensive line has given up 24 sacks this year. The LSU defense put consistent pressure on Leak, which continuously forced him out of the pocket and to throw bad passes. This resulted in a 2-for-16 mark on third down. If Leak and the Gators do not pull it together after falling from 11th to 18th, then there is very little chance they will be headed to the SEC title game. This weekend's game against Georgia may be the deciding factor for Florida's postseason destiny.
With Miami leaving the Big East, it looked like Louisville would dominate the division. However, with a 46-44 overtime loss to West Virginia, the Cardinals have a lot of ground to cover. They are out of the Top 25 and they are seventh out of eight in the Big East. For a team that started No.12 in the nation, they have fallen hard. The other loss came against South Florida, 45-14. In order to even think about having a share of the Big East title, beginning with going undefeated for the rest of the season. With this and a little help from West Virginia, they may find themselves back in the conference title hunt.
