Just one week after Alabama versus Georgia was the game of the year in college football; the Crimson Tide suffered a devastating loss on the road against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt dominated the time of possession, 42:08 to 17:52, and kept the chains moving, picking 12 of 18 third-down opportunities.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia combined for over 300 yards from scrimmage. The Tide, visibly frustrated, left the field with their first loss of the season. Perhaps the signs were there.
Vanderbilt shocked Virginia Tech on opening weekend and nearly defeated Missouri. They, against an elite conference opponent, got their big win of the season. As usual, here’s a recap of last week’s college football games and a look ahead to some big games this weekend.
Recap of Week 6’s Upset Special: Michigan at Washington
This game began as a possible rout for the Huskies, who started with a 14-0 lead. Early, Washington picked on sophomore cornerback Jyaire Hill. Yet despite being down, Michigan stuck to the running game and cut the deficit in half after a long touchdown run by Donovan Edwards.
The two most significant sequences of the game were Sherrone Moore benching Alex Orji for Jack Tuttle, which gave Michigan the spark they needed in the passing game. The other was Will Rogers missing Denzel Boston in the end zone on third down, and the subsequent field goal try was blocked just before the half.
Michigan received the ball to open the second half, and capitalized with points on the opening drive. From then on, both teams exchanged the lead until Kamren Fabiculanan made a diving play with a terrific interception to give the Huskies the ball up by seven points in Michigan territory.
Washington kicker Grady Gross gets a little redemption after some early misses to give Washington the late two-score lead and seal the win for the Huskies to take down No. 10 Michigan in Seattle.
Recap of Week 6’s Saturday Spotlight: Missouri at Texas A&M
This college football game was a landslide, and any hope Missouri had to compete against the Aggies was gone after their opening drive; where they were on the wrong side of a questionable call by the officials that should have resulted in pass interference.
For the Aggies, Conner Weigman returned from a shoulder injury and was on fire against the Tigers. He completed 82 percent of his passes and had a 93.7 quarterback rating. Weigman has been criticized for his erratic play, but he made a statement last Saturday. His ball placement was terrific, and the Aggies were in perfect harmony on both sides of the ball. The offensive line dominated Missouri as Texas A&M ran for 236 yards.
For Missouri, it was a game they were due for a letdown. Although they came into Saturday undefeated, they haven’t exactly played well, especially Brady Cook. Cook had a QBR of 25.6 against Texas A&M and missed a lot of throws to his wide receivers. Missouri ran 30 times for only 68 yards (2.3 yards per attempt), and with Alabama losing to Vanderbilt, the game came at the worst possible time.
Why did Tennessee hurt themselves the most?
After their win over Oklahoma, Tennessee is a team that could have been seen, and still can, as a dark horse to win the SEC. Over the last few years, the defense has become vastly improved. Offensively, they still have vertical playmakers, but the offense is more dynamic when running the football with Dylan Sampson, Desean Bishop, and freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Yet, that’s why their loss to Arkansas was so disappointing.
The offense finally got on the board in the third quarter to take a 14-3. Yet surprisingly, the defense gave up 16 unanswered points, and Tennessee took its first loss of the season.
Arkansas contained Tennessee’s passing attack well and credit to them. Still, fans must feel underwhelmed by Tennessee’s performance as they squandered a chance to separate themselves in the conference. Alabama lost, Missouri lost, and the Volunteers joined the pity party. Tennessee hurt themselves the most last week with their loss against Arkansas.
College Football Week 7 Saturday Spotlight: Oregon vs. Ohio State
When the PAC-12 dissolved, Oregon was the team that felt most-suited to make the quick transition to the physical brand of the Big Ten. On the defensive line they’ve got excellent size, led by senior Jordan Burch.
Burch is a mammoth that draws comparisons to former Duck, Deforest Buckner, standing at 6 feet 6 inches and 295 pounds. He leads Oregon with five sacks and will tangle with Seth Mclaughlin and Donovan Jackson.
The gameplan is simple for Oregon. They must contain the running backs Quinshon Judkins and Treyveon Henderson. On the back end, the matchup to watch is Emeka Egbuka versus Jabbar Muhammad, with some Jeremiah Smith mixed in. The outcome will come down to Dillon Gabriel winning from the pocket and not making the big mistake. This is undeniably the game of the week.
Week 7 Upset Special: Colorado vs. Kansas State
Whenever it seems one should give up on Colorado, they seem to pull you back in. After embarrassingly losing to Nebraska and the fallout that came from Shedeur Sanders‘ post-game comments, the Buffaloes have handled business.
First, they crushed their in-state rival, Colorado State. Then, they had a miracle comeback at versus Baylor, before blowing away UCF. Colorado is 4-1 ahead of their biggest Big 12 competition yet in Kansas State. The best player on the field Saturday will be the incomparable Travis Hunter.
Hunter leads the Buffaloes in interceptions, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. As for Sanders, since the loss against Nebraska, he has been on a tear. Sanders has thrown for 941 yards, nine touchdowns, and one interception.
Although Colorado has a good chance to win at home, they must block Brendan Mott from getting to Sanders and wrecking the game. Despite Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson’s success this year, Kansas State is not a good team on third down. Look for Colorado to make Johnson beat them with his arm on money downs; and for the home crowd to stampede as the Buffaloes win in the nightcap of a college football Saturday.
