Now, things are starting to get interesting in college football. The battle at Beaver Stadium last week allowed one coach to exorcise some demons, while the other will be haunted by some of his decisions late in the game’s closing stages. Meanwhile, the rankings were shaken up after five teams in the top 25 lost to unranked opponents, such as Iowa State and Clemson.
Big matchups are on the horizon this weekend, plus a quarterback who firmly planted himself in the early stages of the draft with their performance last week.
Let’s review last week’s events before checking out the Saturday Spotlight and this week’s upset special.
College Football Week 10 Saturday Spotlight: Ohio State at Penn State
For everyone who loves putting Ryan Day on the hot seat, you wonder when these conversations might start about James Franklin at Penn State. Penn State had a golden opportunity to take down the Buckeyes at home, but they fell short in the clutch.
After returning a Will Howard interception for a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead over Ohio State, Penn State allowed Howard and the offense to take back the momentum and score 17 unanswered points. The interception by Davison Igbinosun going into the half symbolized Penn State’s afternoon of being unable to finish drives in the red zone. It foreshadowed how they ultimately lost the game.
Down 20-13, Penn State had 1st and goal from the 3-yard line. Several times, Penn State brings the offensive lineman in motion after being split out wide and committed to trying to pound it in the end zone until a desperation throw fell incomplete on fourth down. Why Penn State didn’t design a quarterback keeper for Drew Allar, who had been running well in spurts during the game, is odd. Ohio State would run out the clock from then on to take home the win.
With last Saturday’s loss, Franklin is 1-10 versus Ohio State as coach of the Nittany Lions and winless against Ryan Day. Thanks to the lack of divisions in the Big 10, they could see Ohio State again, but when will Franklin get it done? That was the best shot to take them down, but his team could not come through. It felt eerily similar to their home loss against Michigan last year, where you have one of your rivals reeling but can’t close the deal. Again, Penn State still has a lot to play for, but it’s disappointing that they couldn’t seize the opportunity that presented itself.
College Football Week 10 Upset Pick: Ole Miss at Arkansas
Major miss on behalf of the writer. On paper, Arkansas had the size and talent to cause disruptions for the Ole Miss defense. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, that never materialized, and the game turned into a track meet for Ole Miss.
The Ole Miss pass rush swarmed Taylen Green. He was injured early in the game and managed to come back briefly. Still, he lost much of his mobility while the game was relatively within reach and took a very integral element away from the Arkansas offense. For the Ole Miss offense, tight end Dae’Quan Wright owned the middle of the field for Jaxson Dart, and Jordan Watkins burned the Razorbacks secondary for 254 yards receiving for five touchdowns.
The win gives Ole Miss a confidence boost before their game this weekend against Georgia—applause for Ole Miss for avoiding the upset special, unlike many teams in the top 25.
Why Cam Ward helped himself the most last week
As we get closer to the back half of the college football season, the Heisman chase is starting to wind down. The two candidates who have emerged the most prominently are candidates who weren’t at the forefront when the season started.
Ashton Jeanty of Boise State has dominated his competition, rushing for 1525 yards and 20 touchdowns. Yet, Cam Ward of Miami has taken a short lead for the Heisman.
His defense has yielded many points this season to sub-prime opposing offenses, which has put him in plenty of pressure situations, and he continues to excel. The Hurricanes are still unbeaten in college football, and Ward’s jaw-dropping plays every week drive Miami’s quest for an undefeated season and a bid for the college football national championship.
Against Duke, Ward led his team to a comeback win, and Ward lit the scoreboard up, throwing for 400 yards and five touchdowns. Ward averaged 15.4 yards per attempt in the second half to stave off a surging Duke team.
Ward is the best quarterback in college football and will fill his trophy case when season awards are announced. With performances like he has had recently and his ability to keep cool in clutch moments, he has to be catching the attention of NFL scouts and talent evaluators. Ward is pushing to be the first quarterback off the board in April’s draft. Ward did himself a big favor last week.
Saturday Spotlight: Alabama vs. LSU
It’s almost a no-brainer, but this has all the makings of a must-see game. Baton Rouge, the site of college gameday and a primetime matchup, this game has heavy implications on the NCAA landscape. The loser of this game is out of the running for the CFP.
For LSU, it would give them their second SEC loss and make them a big, long shot at playing in the SEC title game. It would mark Alabama’s third loss in the SEC and virtually cement them out of the SEC title game, likely their only shot at making the CFP.
A three-loss team isn’t going to be considered among the best 12 teams in the country, so Alabama is the more desperate team. However, the playoffs start this week for both teams, and the loser is basically playing for a consolation bowl.
The bright side is, as fans, we’ll get treated to a playoff atmosphere in Death Valley, and the game will feature some of the best offensive star power in the nation. Jalen Milroe, freshman Ryan Williams, Kyren Lacy, and Aaron Anderson.
Both quarterbacks, Milroe and Garrett Nussmeier, have been given a lot of responsibility to shoulder the offensive burden. Either team’s running game has been less effective in years past, and that will be the deciding factor.
Whichever team can succeed in running the football to draw the defense downhill to set up big plays for their receivers will win. This is easily the biggest game of the week, and hence is the Saturday Spotlight.
Upset special: BYU at Utah
This game has all the makings of an upset. You have a longstanding in-state rival taking on a team trying to hold on to their perfect season. The Cougars are first in the Big 12 and are cruising along during their undefeated campaign, winning by an average of almost 16 points per victory.
Yet this matchup doesn’t look great for them. Their quarterback Jake Retzlaff isn’t an efficient passer and although they rely on his mobility in the ground game, collectively, they’re not a potent rushing team. Where BYU has thrived is generating turnovers with 18 this season. That’s been their bread and butter. However, for Utah, there is a path to victory.
Although Utah isn’t the same without Cam Rising at quarterback, they sometimes run the ball reasonably well behind Micah Bernard. Over the past few weeks, it’s been a challenge. However, if Bernard can recapture the success he hadwhen he had three consecutive 100-yard games earlier in the season.
Utah is No. 2 in the nation on 3rd down defense, allowing 25 percent of the opponent’s third downs to be converted. They are one of the stingiest pass defenses and are led by Zemaiah Vaughn and Elijah Davis, two big, ideal-sized corners who match up well with BYU’s Darius Lassiter and Chase Roberts. BYU will also have to account for Van Fillinger putting pressure on Retzlaff.
If Utah can take care of the football and not gift BYU extra possessions, they can pull this win off. Expect Bernard to carry the load and the Utes to victory in the upset special.
