Hats off to Sakoda, Rams, Aggies, Cougs

Scattershooting the college football scene while wondering if we'll ever see a headline that reads, "Sakoda blows game-winning field goal."

Not likely.

THUMBS UP: Colorado State's impressive offensive showing and win over UNLV was as big as the Rams have enjoyed in years.

Louie Sakoda (11 of 11 from 47 yards or less) ought to start saving his dirty game socks. They could be worth something on eBay.

Hats off to Utah State for scoring two late touchdowns on the BYU Cougar defense that had pitched two straight shutouts.

THUMBS DOWN: Michigan just might fail to make a bowl game for the first time in 33 years after losing to Illinois. The 2-3 Wolverines now must face a league schedule that includes teams with a combined 28-6 record.

THEY SAID IT ... Joe Paterno, the ageless Penn State coach, when asked if he considered surgery on his hip: "I'm not letting anybody get near me with a knife."

BYU QB Max Hall after the 20-point win over USU, "We left two or three touchdowns out there."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: BYU has 11 fumble recoveries after registering just four in 2007. TCU ranks No. 1 (22.3 yards per game) and Utah No. 6 (65.5 yards per game) in NCAA rushing defense. BYU has the longest win streak in the country at 15, while Utah, Texas Tech, Alabama and Penn State are No. 2 with seven wins in a row.

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW: Even after doubling his interception total from two to four, BYU's Hall, who has 17 touchdown tosses, remains on many Heisman Trophy watch lists. The USA Today lists him among leaders Chase Daniel of Missouri, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

MY MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Aside from Sakoda from Utah for his clutch kick to defeat Oregon State, I'll go with Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson's 33 carries, 191 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Rams' win over UNLV.

DUMB AND DUMBER: Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel had a great outing in his team's 52-17 win at Nebraska. So he shouldn't have brought up an alleged spitting incident before kickoff in which he claims a Husker hit him with a mouth droplet. It received more attention than his passing stats, which were 253 yards and three touchdowns.

YEAH, BUT ... The MWC is not tied to a major bowl but leads the nation with a .615 winning percentage (8-5) against BCS conference teams and 23-11 in all non-league games. The Pac-10 is 5-7 against non-league BCS foes and 13-15 in non-league games.