A poor performance by freshman QB Dillon Gabriel, with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions led to UCF being upset by Cincinnati, handing them their second loss this season. The Knights struck first with a 24-yard field goal by kicker Dylan Barnas in the first quarter. After exchanging field goals in the second quarter, UCF had a 6-3 lead. But a 5-yard touchdown pass by sophomore QB Desmond Ridder would give the Bearcats their first lead of the day. A 31-yard field goal by Barnas and a 1-yard touchdown run by junior RB Greg McCrae would give UCF a 16-10 lead at halftime. Cincinnati would run the 3rd quarter, having a 20-16 lead after a 26-yard field goal by kicker Sam Crosa and a 16-yard interception return by freshman CB Ahmad Gardner. An 11-yard touchdown reception by sophomore WR Alec Pierce in the 4th quarter would give the Bearcats a strong enough lead, as Dillon Gabriel’s 45-yard touchdown pass towards the end of the 4th would not be enough as the Knights fall to 4-2 and the Bearcats improve to 4-1.
After having a 14-10 lead at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, the Tennesse offense would be shut down in the 2nd half. A 1-yard touchdown run by RB D’Andre Swift in the first quarter would give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead. Tennessee QB Brian Maurer would connect with WR Marquez Callaway for a 73-yard touchdown pass. The Vols would take the lead in the 2nd quarter after a 12-yard touchdown pass by Maurer, going up 14-10. But that would be the end of the day for the Tennessee offense. A 34-yard field goal and two short passing touchdowns by Georgia QB Jake Fromm would give the Bulldogs a 26-14 lead at halftime. Another 27-yard field goal, a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Brian Herrien and a 60-yard fumble return by LB Tae Crowder in the second half would complete Georgia’s rout of Tennessee. Fromm had a solid performance, going 24 for 29 with 288 yards and 2 touchdowns as Georgia stays perfect at 5-0 and the struggling Vols fall to 1-4.
(25) Michigan State 10, (4) Ohio State 34
Another dominating performance by QB and RB duo Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins would help Ohio State cruise to another win, making them 6-0 on the season. A 39-yard field goal and a 60-yard touchdown reception by WR Binjimen Victor would give the Buckeyes an early 10-0 lead. MSU QB Brian Lewerke would connect with WR Darrell Stewart Jr for a 20-yard touchdown pass to cut their deficit from 10-7. Ohio State would answer with a 21-yard touchdown reception by TE Luke Farell. The Spartans made it a one-score game after a 39-yard field goal by Matt Coghlin. But J.K Dobbins would explode for a 67-yard touchdown run, and that combined with a 43-yard field goal by Blake Haubeil would give Ohio State a 27-10 lead at halftime. Justin Fields would have a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the 4th quarter, as Ohio State finished their victory with 323 rushing yards. On the other side, MSU was held to just 67 rushing yards as they fall to 4-2.
LSU QB Joe Burrow continues to break records as LSU dominated again against USU to stay undefeated at 5-0. Burrow became the first LSU QB to have 300+ passing yards in 4 straight games. The Tigers only had a 1 point lead at 7-6 at the end of the first quarter, but they would extend that lead in the 2nd quarter after a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Burrow and a 25-yard touchdown reception by WR Ja’Marr Chase would give LSU a 21-6 lead at halftime. Burrow would connect three more times in the second half, twice with WR Justin Jefferson (for 4 & 39 yards) and with TE Thaddeus Moss (for 8 yards). Burrow would have 344 yards with 5 touchdowns and one interception, adding to his 22 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 1,864 so far this season. The LSU defense would force three fumbles and three interceptions and would hold USU to just 19 rushing yards as this team continues to impress and dominate on both sides of the ball.
The Sooners had another strong offensive performance, led by Jalen Hurts’ 228 and 4 touchdowns (2 passing and 2 rushing). Kansas went up first after a 22-yard touchdown pass by Senior QB Carter Stanley in the first quarter. But the Sooners would answer with 3 touchdowns in the first half, including 2 rushing touchdowns by Hurts and Trey Sermon, and a 10-yard touchdown reception by CeeDee Lamb, giving Oklahoma a 21-7 lead at halftime. Another rushing touchdown by Hurts to start the 3rd quarter expanded the Sooners lead to 28-7. But they were nowhere near done. Hurts would connect with Sermon for a 15-yard touchdown pass, and then Rhamondre Stevenson would have a 61-yard run to the house, pushing their lead to 42-7. Kansas would have two touchdowns in the fourth, both to Stephon Robinson Jr, one for 39 yards and one for 24 yards. But this would be nowhere near enough as the Jalen Hurts and the Sooners stay undefeated at 5-0.
Bowling Green 0, (9) Notre Dame 52
Ian Book had 5 passing touchdowns in the Irish’s rout of BGSU on Saturday afternoon. Notre Dame would flex their muscles early after going up 21-0. Book would connect with TE Tommy Tremble for 17 yards, TE Cole Kmet for 21 yards, and WR Chase Claypool for 34 yards. Book would find Claypool again in the second quarter for an 8-yard touchdown, and WR Javon McKinley would haul in a 25-yard touchdown reception to push Notre Dame’s lead to 35-0 at the end of the first half. Backup QB Phil Jurkovec got some playing time in the second half and boosted Notre Dame’s score to 45-0 with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Avery Davis. A 1-yard rushing touchdown by C’Bo Flemister in the 4th quarter would finish the scoring domination by the Irish. Toney Jones Jr would finish with 102 rushing yards on 7 carries, and Javon McKinley would finish with 104 receiving yards with 5 receptions on the day, helping Notre Dame roll right past BGSU and keep them in the win column at 4-1.
Kent State 0, (8) Wisconsin 48
Wisconsin silenced Kent State for their 3rd shutout win this season. The most explosive player this game was junior RB Jonathan Taylor, who had 4 touchdowns in the first half, 3 rushing and 1 reception, giving the Badgers a 28-0 lead at the end of the first half. But Taylor wasn’t done as he would explode for a 48-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, making him responsible for all 35 of Wisconsin’s points thus far. TE Jake Ferguson would catch a 2-yard touchdown pass from Jack Coan and WR Jack Dunn had a 3-yard rushing touchdown to complete Wisconsin’s rout of Kent State. Jonathan Taylor finished with 186 yards on 19 carries with 4 rushing and one receiving touchdown, but he wasn’t the only one who performed. The Wisconsin defense combined for 9 sacks (including 3 from senior LB Zack Baun) and 3 fumbles as they held the Ken State offense to a combined 124 yards of offense. The Badgers continue to put on overwhelming performances each week as they improve to 5-0 on the season.
Coming off their dominant shutout victory against Maryland, Penn State was looking to keep their hot streak against Purdue. And after going up 21-0 in the 1st quarter, including a 72-yard touchdown pass by QB Sean Clifford, they showed that they were ready to do just that. Purdue would get on the board in the second quarter with their only scoring play of the game after QB Jack Plummer connected with WR Amad Anderson for a 15-yard touchdown. But the Penn State defense would shut down Purdue, holding them to -19 rushing yards and 123 receiving yards, helping the Nittany Lions cruise to another victory at 5-0 as they look to what should be a competitive matchup against Iowa next Saturday.
Michigan relied heavily on its defense to help push them past Iowa in a low scoring game. Michigan scored all of their points for the day in the first quarter after a 28-yard field goal by kicker Jake Moody and a 2-yard rushing touchdown by freshman RB Zach Charbonnet. But this early 10-0 lead would be more than enough to help push the Wolverines to victory. Iowa’s only scoring play of the day came from a 22-yard field goal by kicker Kieth Duncan in the second quarter. Iowa had 260 total receiving yards, but was held to 1 (yup, just 1, that’s literally it) total rushing yard, with QB Nate Stanley being held to -65 rushing yards (literally how does that even happen). This effort combined with 8 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 2 fumbles would help Michigan hold off Iowa as the Wolverines improve to 4-1 while handing Iowa their first loss of the season at 4-1.
(21) Oklahoma State 35, Texas Tech 45
Texas Tech jumped ahead early in their upset of Oklahoma State, going up 13-0 in the 1st quarter after two field goals by kicker Trey Wolff and a 16-yard touchdown run by QB Jett Duffey. OKST wouldn’t get on the board until the last 30 seconds of the first half after a 3-yard touchdown run by RB Chubba Hubbard. But the Cowboys would have ways to go as they started the second half down 20-7. Duffey expanded Texas Tech’s lead in the 3rd quarter with junior WR T.J. Vasher. OKST QB Spencer Sanders would launch a 73-yard touchdown pass to WR Jordan McCray to cut their deficit to 27-14, but Texas Tech would answer with an 8-yard touchdown reception by WR Dalton Rigdon. The Cowboys would close out the third quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run by Hubbard to cut the lead to 34-21. But a 26-yard field goal by Wolff and a 56-yard touchdown reception by WR Erik Ezukanma with a successful 2-pt conversion would be enough for the Red Raiders to steal the win, despite two late 4th quarter touchdowns by OKST. Texas Tech improves to 3-2 and Oklahoma state falls to 4-2.
(7) Auburn 13, (10) Florida 24
A much-anticipated matchup by college football fans across the country (myself included) definitely did not disappoint. The Gators struck first with an explosive 64-yard touchdown pass by QB Kyle Trask. Auburn would answer with 2 field goals by kicker Andres Carlson (48 and 39 yards), and they kept their deficit within one at 7-6 at the end of the 1st quarter. Trask would connect again when he found WR Josh Hammond for a 13-yard touchdown pass at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Auburn QB Bo Nix would help his team get in the endzone with a 32-yard touchdown pass to WR Seth Williams. Flordia would pad their lead with a 41-yard field goal by Evan McPherson, giving them 17-13 lead at the end of the first half. The only scoring play from the rest of the game would be an 88-yard touchdown run by senior RB Lamical Perine, which would secure the win for the Gators, moving them to 6-0 as Auburn gets their first loss of the season at 5-1.
(11) Texas 42, West Virginia 31
Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorns avoided a near-upset by West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. West Virginia took the first lead of the day after QB Austin Kendall connected with freshman WR Sam James. Texas would answer with a 22-yard touchdown that was hauled in by freshman WR Malcolm Epps to tie the game in the 1st quarter. The Mountaineers took their lead back after a 1-yard touchdown run by QB Austin Kendall. Texas would have the advantage at halftime with a 21-14 lead after a 13-yard touchdown reception by WR John Burt and a 13-yard touchdown run by QB Sam Ehlinger. WVU would cut their deficit in the 3rd quarter after a 29-yard field goal by kicker Evan Staley. Kendall would connect with twice in the 4th quarter, with WR T.J. Simmons, and with WR Bryce Wheaton but that wouldn’t be enough to stop the Longhorns 3 rushing touchdowns. Texas is now 4-1 on the season as they head into a big matchup against Oklahoma next week.
Tulsa 37, (24) Southern Methodist University 43
In a 3 OT game, SMU was able to overcome Tulsa and helped them move to 6-0 for the first time in over 35 years. The Mustangs got their scoring started with a 64-yard interception return by CB Ar’mani Johnson to put them up 7-0. Tulsa would take a 16-6 lead in the second quarter after a 32-yard field goal, a 58-yard touchdown pass from QB Zach Smith, and a 1-yard fumble return by freshman safety Kendarian Ray. A 5-yard touchdown reception by WR Keylon Stokes would give Tulsa a 23-9 advantage at halftime. Tulsa would continue to rack up points after Smith connected with WR Keenan Johnson for a 40-yard touchdown pass. But three touchdowns by SMU in the 4th, including two rushing touchdowns and a 30-yard touchdown pass from QB Shane Buechele, which would force the game to go into overtime. A touchdown by each team in the first OT would tie the game again at 37. But SMU would walk it off at 43-37 with a 25-yard touchdown reception by senior WR James Proche. SMU has been moving under the radar all season and have quietly stayed undefeated.
After a slow start, Oregon was able to score 17 points in the 2nd half to seal the win for their home crowd. Cal opened up the scoring after QB Devon Modster found RB Christopher Brown Jr. for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Oregon would finally get on the board after a 28-yard field goal by kicker Camden Lewis, cutting their deficit to 7-3. But a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio and a 1-yard touchdown reception by junior WR Jaylon Reed would give secure the win for the Ducks. The Oregon defense forced 2 interceptions and 3 fumbles and held Cal’s rushing yards to a measly 66, and their effort combined with Justin Herbert’s 214 with 20 completions on 33 attempts helped them improve to 4-1 as Cal falls to 4-2.
(15) Washington 13, Stanford 23
Stanford was able to upset top-15 ranked Washington late Saturday night. Washington had the advantage at the end of the first quarter with a 7-3 lead after a 3-yard touchdown pass by QB Jacob Eason. Stanford would jump ahead at 13-7 in the second quarter after a 20-yard field goal by kicker Jet Toner and a 42-yard touchdown pass by QB Davis Mills. The Huskies would cut their deficit at the end of the first half to 13-10 after a 25-yard field goal by Peyton Henry. Stanford would extend their lead to 20-10 after a 4-yard touchdown by RB Cameron Scarlett in the third quarter. The only other score Washington would be able to muster is a 38-yard field goal, but it wouldn’t be enough to avoid upset. Stanford QB Mills would finish with 293 yards on 21 completions with 30 attempts and 1 touchdown pass. Stanford improves to 3-3 and Washington gets their second loss of the season at 4-2.
BSU was able to easily roll past UNLV for their 5th win this season as they also remain undefeated. The Broncos were able to build a strong lead to work with before their defense ever allowed for UNLV to score. BSU was up 24-0 in the second after two field goals from Joel Velazquez and two touchdown passes by QB Hank Bachmeier, including a 76-yard pass to WR John Hightower. UNLV would get on the board with just over 2 minutes to go in the first half after an 11-yard touchdown pass by QB Kenyon Oblad, cutting the Broncos’ lead to 24-7. But BSU would answer with 3 more touchdowns in the 2nd half, including 2 rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown by backup QB Chase Cord, and that effor would be too overwhelming for UNLV. The Rebels’ QB still put on in aerformance, going 24 for 55 with 262 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. But the Broncos defense would shut down the opposing run game, only allowing 69 yards. BSU stays out of the loss column at 5-0 and and UNLV falls to 1-4.
Fan Review: Personally, my schedule conflicted with me being able to view most of these games. However, from what I did see I was thoroughly entertained. I feel like this weekend brough up a lot of interesting matchups which created some interesting results and allowed for some big upsets. I personally enjoyed the Washington and Stanford game because even though they had a comfortable lead late in the game, Stanford played with their full hearts and best ability to the final minute (not to say other teams, like Washington did it, just noting it for the upset).
Player Of The Week: Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor. An easy choice for this week. Taylor’s 5 touchdowns, 4 of which were rushing touchdowns that capped off his 186 yard day, shined the most among any player this weekend. Taylor was responsible for nearly all of the Badgers’ points in their blowout win. Taylor now has 745 yards and 12 touchdowns in Wisconsin’s 5 games this season and has flown under the radar the past few weeks, but is showing that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Next Week’s Best Matchup: (7) Florida vs (5) LSU. Two undefeated teams will matchup on Saturday night and it is sure to be a thriller. Florida’s defense is allowing 276.3 combined offensive yards this season, and they’re going to need a strong performance to stop Joe Burrow and an LSU offense averaging 571 yards per game. I think LSU will come away the winner in this matchup, but the Gators aren’t gonna go down without a fight.
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