Morning Six Pack: November 11, 2012

Veterans, we raise our glasses in honor of your service to the country, and we offer you these six college football stories from around the country.

Breaking down NCAA's big calls

Football is a game of inches. But sometimes, it’s about a foot. College football’s Week 11 slate offered a number of plays near sidelines or endlines where teams were reminded that receivers must have control of the ball and put down an entire foot — from heel-to-toe or toe-to-heel — in order for a catch to count.

No-Quit Gators Prove You Can Never Count Them Out

They call it Black. Considering their no-frills approach, the name fits. And on Saturday afternoon, with 13 ticks left on the clock, Florida's punt-block unit prepared to lift a black cloud that surprisingly hung over The Swamp and darkened the mood of Florida fans inside expecting an easy Homecoming win…

Mariota tosses 6 TDs in Ducks victory

In a blink of an eye, Marcus Mariota and Oregon turned a tight game into another blowout that could have the Ducks in position to move into the top spot in the country.

Wallace's play a moral victory for Tigers' absent offense

As bad as Auburn's offense was in their 38-0 loss to No. 5 Georgia, the moral victory the Tigers can take is that freshman quarterback Jonathan Wallace put up solid numbers in his second career start.

Irish perfect if not flawless - Notre Dame

Saturday night tested Notre Dame's focus. Maybe the Irish didn't ace that examination, but they at least passed it.

Quotable:

Manziel’s success, as Newton’s before it, shows just how important one player can be in the college game. Auburn was unbeatable under Newton, inscrutable before and after his tenure. Texas A&M last year barely was bowl-eligible with a quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, who went in the first round to the Miami Dolphins this past April. And Manziel is a better college quarterback already.

It also demonstrates perhaps the future of collegiate offenses – if one is lucky enough to find a quarterback so adept at running as well as throwing. The fast-paced, heavy-on-the-improv offense the Aggies employed against Alabama effectively nullified the Tide’s advantages in personnel and scheme, for the most part. It turned Bryant-Denny Stadium into a sandlot and made the Bama defense look like the Bad News Bears.

…

And as a result of Manziel’s play, there will likely be no national championship for Alabama in 2012. Too many miracles would have to happen at this point to get Alabama where it needs to be.

Dammit.

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