Akron and Air Force chance it

Akron coach J.D. Brookhart wanted nothing to do with overtime. Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry knew playing more than 60 minutes wasn’t in his team’s best interest.

Both made bold moves, passing up potential game-tying kicks for potential game-winning plays late in close games Saturday.

One worked. One didn’t.

On a day when seven Division I-A games went to OT, each made the right call by avoiding it.

Brookhart’s Zips rewarded their daring – and wise – coach with a 1-yard touchdown run by Dennis Kennedy on the last play of the game that beat North Carolina State, 20-17.

“When we got down that close, we decided that overtime would not probably be in our favor for a lot of reasons, so we went for it,” Brookhart said.

DeBerry’s Falcons couldn’t get the job done, failing on a 2-point conversion with 1:35 remaining and losing to No. 13 Tennessee 31-30.

“It’s probably the most disappointing game I’ve ever been involved in,” he said. “It’s a game that I felt we should have won, a game we could have won.”

College football’s strange overtime, with each team getting the ball at the 25-yard line, can produce some wild finishes. There were plenty to go around on Saturday.

Clemson lost to Boston College because it missed an extra point. Same for Wyoming against Virginia. Syracuse lost to Iowa because it couldn’t score a touchdown from the 2 in seven plays.

And Texas Tech beat UTEP when its kicker banged a 49-yard field goal off the uprights and through.

Fun stuff, but not as much fun as Akron lining up for a TD-or-bust play with 3 seconds left.

For underdogs on the road such as Akron and Air Force, overtime isn’t the best way to go.

Even though North Carolina State hadn’t had much success moving the ball against the Zips, Brookhart was right to figure that the Wolfpack’s depth and home crowd would give them an advantage in the extra session.

Air Force had been riddled by Erik Ainge and the Volunteers’ passing game for 333 yards. They weren’t suddenly going to find a pass defense in OT.

And what were the chances that a close officials’ call would have gone the road team’s way in those games?

Exactly.

Beware the sandwich

Florida State was coming off an emotional win over Miami and had the latest Bowden Bowl against Atlantic Coast Conference rival Clemson on the horizon.

The Seminoles’ minds were clearly somewhere other than Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, when they needed a late rally to beat Troy 24-17, barely averting an embarrassing loss.

The most disconcerting part of the game for Florida State: The Seminoles ran for 45 yards on 28 carries. That, after they mustered 1 yard on the ground against the Hurricanes.

Tennessee also had a major lapses in concentration against Air Force after a big win against California – and before a huge showdown with Florida. And Iowa, without its starting quarterback, was a dud at the dome against Syracuse a week before the Hawkeyes play rival Iowa State.

So how much do these close calls matter?

Florida State should be worried. The Seminoles couldn’t run the ball last season either – and until they do, they’re vulnerable every game.

Tennessee shouldn’t fret too much. The Vols let their guard down after getting a big lead and Air Force’s triple-option is a pain in the neck for a team that hasn’t seen it. Tennessee will be ready for the Gators.

Iowa? Depends. If Drew Tate, who took the day off to rest an abdominal muscle strain, is back and healthy next week, then Iowa should be fine. With Tate, the Hawkeyes can contend in the Big Ten. Without him, they’re one-dimensional and no threat to Ohio State.

Enough is enough

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino is getting a reputation as a coach who likes to pile up big numbers at the expense of lesser opponents. Saturday’s 62-0 win over Temple won’t help.

In Petrino’s defense, the Cardinals ran for seven of their eight touchdowns.

But why did quarterback Brian Brohm, coming off a serious knee injury, have to play 10 minutes of the third quarter? With Louisville set to host Miami on Saturday, and having already lost star running back Michael Bush to a broken leg in the season opener, Petrino could have been extra careful with his franchise quarterback and kept the score under 60 against the worst team in Division I-A.