TEXAS, FLORIDA EARN
HUGE WINS
Texas' thrilling, last-second win over rival Oklahoma raises
a lot of questions we weren't expecting to be asking. Are the Longhorns now Big
12 favorites? What does this mean for the conference's playoff hopes? We don't
know that quite yet, but here's what we have learned so far today.
KEEP CHECKING BACK ALL DAY FOR UPDATES FROM YOUR FAVORITE TEAM.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 65, ARKANSAS 31
The locomotive that is Alabama kept on rolling Saturday. The
questions after a 65-31 win at lowly Arkansas are not whether the Crimson Tide
cemented their spot as the top team nationally and not whether Tua Tagovailoa
increased his lead in the Heisman Trophy race. The questions are whether Bama
and Tagovailoa will stay firmly in these positions until early December and
whether a more difficult schedule in November will even matter.
Tagovailoa played just six minutes of the second half in
Fayetteville and did not complete a pass after a 60-yard touchdown strike to Jerry
Jeudy with 1:38 to play in the first half. And still, he finished 10 of 13 for
334 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The sophomore QB has yet
to commit a turnover this season for the top-ranked Crimson Tide, which moved
to 6-0 after leading 41-14 at halftime -- its second-smallest lead of the
season after 30 minutes -- and faces Missouri in Tuscaloosa before visiting
Tennessee to finish out this month. Next month brings a trip to LSU and the
Iron Bowl at home against Auburn. For now, though, Alabama continues to look
unstoppable after topping 500 yards for the sixth time this season in its
nation-leading 78th consecutive victory against an unranked opponent.
NO. 2 GEORGIA 41, VANDERBILT 13
The Bulldogs trailed for the first time all season. But,
hey, that only lasted 15 seconds before Jake Fromm found Terry Godwin for a
75-yard touchdown. It was that kind of night inside Sanford Stadium as
Vanderbilt just couldn't stand up to the barrage of playmakers Georgia has on
both sides of the ball. Fromm continued his efficiency passing the football,
completing 17 of 23 passes for 276 yards, three touchdowns and no
interceptions. But the real test comes next week, though, as Kirby Smart's
squad goes on the road to face LSU.
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 49, INDIANA 26
Ohio State remains undefeated and are still in the driver's
seat to make the College Football Playoff after defeating Indiana. The defense
is still showing its flaws, however, especially giving up big plays. Through
six games, it has already allowed as many 30-yard plays as it did all of last
season. The secondary had issues against the Hoosiers and will need to fix them
before the final game against Michigan. It shouldn't been too big of a problem
for the next few games, but if the Buckeyes do make the conference championship
game and ultimately the playoffs, it might come back to bite them.
NO. 4 CLEMSON 63, WAKE FOREST 3
Trevor Lawrence started and stayed healthy, which was the
big news for Clemson. But the more interesting long-term result was another
tremendous performance by the ground game. The Tigers dominated the second half
against Syracuse with its ground game, and they picked up right where they left
off against Wake, with Travis Etienne, Adam Choice and Lyn-J Dixon totaling
four runs of 50-plus yards. Clemson has rushed for at least 248 yards in five
of six games this season.
NO. 22 FLORIDA 27, NO. 5 LSU 19
Florida fans won't soon forget the name Lukas Krull, and for
good reason. In desperate need of an answer after LSU went ahead early in the
fourth quarter, Dan Mullen went into his bag of tricks and tabbed Krull to
deliver the magic. Krull, a junior college baseball player, threw a 15-yard
pass to Feleipe Franks to set up the go-ahead score. That play itself is a
microcosm of what Mullen has done with the offense over the last few weeks.
He's changed things up at the right moments. Last week against Mississippi
State it was a quick, short passing game. Against LSU, when nothing was going
right in the second half, he went for the unorthodox. It might not look pretty
at times, but Mullen has found a way to get the most out of his offense when it
matters. That, combined with a salty defense that harassed Joe Burrow all game,
has the Gators looking like a markedly improved team.
When the Tigers look back on this game, they will look back
on missed opportunities, especially in the second half. Feleipe Franks gifted
them an interception in the end zone, but LSU did nothing with the turnover.
After seemingly wearing Florida down on the offensive and defensive lines, the
Tigers took the lead in the fourth quarter entirely behind the running of Nick
Brossette. But the defense couldn't hold. On the ensuing drive, a stymied
Florida offense marched down the field and scored. The offense was inconsistent
and didn't convert enough on third down, and Joe Burrow was pressured and
sacked enough to throw him off his game. With an opportunity to get into
field-goal range, Burrow threw a pick-6. LSU can't dwell on this game, though,
not with a trip to Georgia coming up next week.
NO. 6 NOTRE DAME 45, NO. 24 VIRGINIA TECH 23
Racking up a third win over a nationally ranked opponent was
big enough for Notre Dame, especially since the victory over Virginia Tech on
Saturday night was easily the toughest environment the Irish have played in
this season. But when you look at all of the unbeaten teams who lost around
Notre Dame in Week 6 (LSU, Oklahoma and Kentucky), the Irish also won off the
field in their quest to make the College Football Playoff, particularly when
you survey their schedule the rest of the way. Down the road, Notre Dame will
need to be more consistent offensively, but the Irish have clearly shown more
big-play ability with Ian Book at quarterback
Six weeks into the season, it's still difficult to get a
read on who Virginia Tech really is. Are the Hokies the team that lost at Old
Dominion? Are they the team that throttled previously unbeaten Duke on the
road? Or are they the team that had its chances against Notre Dame before a
raucous home crowd at Lane Stadium only to be steamrolled in the second half.
But even with the setback, the schedule is pretty favorable the rest of the way
for Virginia Tech, which remains unbeaten in the ACC's Coastal Division and has
its toughest games at home.
NO. 19 TEXAS 48, NO. 7 OKLAHOMA 45
Texas took quite the counterpunch. But after blowing a
three-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns found a way to get
into field goal range. Then, true freshman kicker Cameron Dicker became a Red
River legend, nailing a 40-yarder in the final seconds to deliver Texas its
biggest victory this decade. Sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger played a
marvelous game, and was never more clutch than on the final drive, passing for
25 yards and rushing for 13. Until an improbable late flurry from Kyler Murray
and the Sooners, Texas was in command of the game the entire day. Now, the
Longhorns are in control of the Big 12 title race. And in Tom Herman's second
season, on the verge of truly, finally being back.
Oklahoma very nearly mounted the biggest comeback in Red
River history. Instead, its defense couldn't mount one final stop after coming
alive late, and Texas converted a game-winning 40-yard field goal in the final
seconds. In the end, Murray's electrifying fourth-quarter explosion, which led
to three OU touchdowns in just over 3 minutes of game clock, couldn't make up
for the rest of the game, which the Longhorns thoroughly dominated. Despite
forcing three punts late, coordinator Mike Stoops' otherwise pillow defense couldn't
stand up blocks, tackle in space or force even a single turnover. Ehlinger,
meanwhile, outplayed Murray, whose two ill-advised turnovers led to 10 Texas
points. With no marquee wins to date, the Sooners' playoff hopes are now on
life support. They could, however, get another shot at the Longhorns in the Big
12 championship game.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 23, NO. 8 AUBURN 9
In its first true road game of the season, Auburn simply
wasn't up for the challenge. The Tigers could muster only three field goals
against Mississippi State, in part because of the Bulldogs' smothering defense
and a pair of big mistakes that cost them two touchdowns -- Jared Stidham
overthrew a receiver for a sure six points and then a fumble following a
41-yard run by JaTarvious Whitlow cost them another score. It all added up to a
sloppy loss that almost surely ends the Tigers' hopes of repeating as SEC West
champions and possibly playing their way into the playoff.
NO. 9 WEST VIRGINIA 38, KANSAS 22
WVU quarterback Will Grier's Heisman hopes took a hit with
his three red zone interceptions, but he was also good enough to compensate for
it with four passing touchdowns to four different receivers, helping the
Mountaineers avoid what would have been an embarrassing home loss to Kansas.
Both teams combined for seven turnovers (WVU led with four), but the
Mountaineers still controlled the clock, racked up over 500 yards of total
offense, and held Kansas to under 100 rushing yards. With OU's loss to Texas,
WVU is now the only undefeated team remaining in the Big 12.
NO. 10 WASHINGTON 31, UCLA 24
Coming into the game with the nation's best scoring defense,
Washington figured to have a relatively easy day against a winless UCLA team
that hadn't surpassed 21 points in a game all year. It didn't work out that
way. And while the Bruins' 24 points aren't necessarily cause for alarm, it did
show the Huskies aren't as invincible defensively as they might have seemed
prior to the game. With a trip to Oregon to play against one of the nation's
best offenses looming, the lackluster defensive performance against UCLA could
serve as the kind of wake-up call a good team can benefit from -- a game that
exposed some holes, but didn't end in a loss
NO. 12 UCF 48, SMU 20
There wasn't much chance SMU was going to pose much of a
threat to the Golden Knights' winning streak, now up to a FBS-best 18 games.
More pressing is whether quarterback McKenzie Milton is fully healthy after he
briefly left in the game in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury.
Milton returned to the game and helped UCF keep the game out of reach in the
second half, but it's still something to keep an eye on heading into next
week's game at Memphis.
TEXAS A&M 20, NO. 13 KENTUCKY 14 (OT)
Kentucky wasn't intimidated by a tough road environment
(there were nearly 100,000 at Kyle Field on Saturday night) but offensive
execution was severely lacking (they finished with a meager 178 yards). Benny
Snell was held in check and Kentucky had few other answers. The Wildcats had
five drives disrupted by unforced errors (fumbles, false start penalties and
the like) that made their task against a quality Texas A&M defense that
much tougher. The loss now drops Kentucky out of a tie for first in the SEC
East meaning they'll likely need to win out to have a shot at claiming the
division title. The defense is there - it's clear Big Blue Nation can play with
just about anybody on that side of the ball - but if they're going to be a real
factor down the stretch, they have to play much cleaner offensive football. Jr.
UTAH 41, NO. 14 STANFORD 20
Stanford's line play was its hallmark for years under former
Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw, but after the past two weeks,
clearly there are cracks in the foundation. After the Cardinal were tossed
around at Notre Dame Stadium, they couldn't handle Utah at the line of
scrimmage, falling behind 21-0 before a nice third-quarter rally. Stanford
simply lacks a difference-making defensive lineman like Solomon Thomas or
Harrison Phillips, and Utah's Zack Moss (20 carries, 160 yards) and Tyler
Huntley (17-of-21 passing, 199 yards, 1 TD) exposed the issues. Stanford
clearly missed Bryce Love, who had to sit out his second game of the season
and, sadly, likely won't factor into the Heisman Trophy conversation after a
runner-up finish in 2017. But Love wouldn't have made much difference in the
first half against Utah. Even after Stanford rallied, no one blocked Utah's
Maxs Tupai, who had a free rush to crush quarterback K.J. Costello on a
critical third down. Shaw and his staff must focus on both lines during the
open week. Stanford has only one Pac-12 loss -- a cross-division one at that --
but doesn't look like a contender right now.
NO. 15 MICHIGAN 42, MARYLAND 21
The Wolverines defense might just be strong enough and, more
specifically, deep enough, to make this year's team a competitor against the
upper crust of the conference. Michigan improved on its nation-leading average
yards allowed per game mark in an uneventful win over Maryland. Aside from a
93-yard kickoff return in the first quarter, the Terps never managed to
generate any threat at the Big House despite Michigan missing two starters on
the defensive line (Rashan Gary and Michael Dwumfour). They will get a better
chance to prove their legitimacy next week when Wisconsin comes to town.
NO. 16 WISCONSIN 41, NEBRASKA 24
Perhaps the Badgers were looking ahead to next week's big
game at The Big House? It wouldn't have been hard to blame them, as a visit
from winless Nebraska wasn't much to get excited about. Jonathan Taylor's 221
yards rushing and three touchdowns kept the Cornhuskers at bay, and now
Wisconsin can turn all of its attention to Michigan next Saturday. Neither the
Badgers nor Wolverines have played up to their lofty preseason predictions and
their game will be a playoff elimination game for the loser. Alex Hornibrook
has been efficient but far from explosive, and Taylor will desperately need him
to open things up against a very stout Michigan defense.
NO. 17 MIAMI 28, FLORIDA STATE 27
In what was an improbable comeback and a victory for the
entire beleaguered ACC, Miami overcame a 20-point, third-quarter deficit
against rival Florida State to remain relevant on the national stage and the
league's top challenger to Clemson. Miami had been winless in 26 straight games
in which it faced a 20-point deficit, but the Canes broke out the turnover
chain in the second half with an interception of Deondre Francois, and the
momentum shifted. Miami quarterback N'Kosi Perry finished with four touchdowns
and no interceptions, but he only completed 13 of 32 passes. Miami has won
back-to-back games against Florida State for the first time since winning six
in row from 2000-04.
NORTHWESTERN 29, NO. 20 MICHIGAN STATE 19
With its home loss to Northwestern, Michigan State has officially
faded out of the national spotlight, and possibly the Top 25, in the first week
of October. The two-loss Spartans don't look capable of challenging Ohio State
or Penn State for the Big Ten East title. Michigan State squandered a 19-14
third-quarter lead and was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. While it's
technically still possible for Michigan State to make a run at the conference
championship, its role now appears to be that of spoiler.
NO. 21 COLORADO 28, ARIZONA STATE 21
The Buffaloes have one of the country's most accurate
quarterbacks and one of the most dynamic playmakers on offense. That's plenty
to make them a real threat to win the Pac-12 South when combined with their 5-0
start to the season. Heading into the weekend, Colorado's first four opponents
had a combined total of one victory. Beating Arizona State provided proof that
Steven Montez, Laviska Shenault and their teammates can produce the same kind
of efficient and eye-popping performances against a quality opponent.
NO. 23 NC STATE 28, BOSTON COLLEGE 23
For the first time, NC State has won two straight games
against Boston College -- but not without a struggle. NC State had four
turnovers (two fumbles, two interceptions), and almost blew a 25-point,
third-quarter lead. Boston College scored 20 unanswered points in the second
half, but was just 1-of-10 on third downs in the game. The Wolfpack is now 5-0
for the first time since 2002 when it won the first nine games of the season.
NC State has a bye week to prepare for the Oct. 20 game at Clemson, where the
winner will take the lead in the ACC's Atlantic Division race.
IOWA STATE 48, NO. 25 OKLAHOMA STATE 42
After their second Big 12 loss of the season, the Cowboys
are probably not going to return to the Top 25 this season. The league's four
best teams (Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, TCU) remain on the schedule and now
road games at Kansas State and Baylor seem much more dangerous than they did
earlier in the season. Nothing can be taken for granted in Stillwater, not
after the Cowboys' defense fell apart against an Iowa State offense that
entered the day ranked last in the Big 12 in scoring (17.5 points) and yards
(299.5). Worse, Oklahoma State couldn't even count on its normally explosive
offense as Justice Hill finished with just 66 yards on 24 carries and Taylor
Cornelius was sacked seven times
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