College Football Week 5 Recap
Saturday Spotlight: USC vs. Illinois
The USC Trojans and Illinois Fighting Illini had another fantastic finish on Saturday. USC took some time to wake up, but once they did, Waymond Jordan and Makai Lemon were the playmakers for the Trojans. Jordan had nearly 100 yards rushing, while Lemon had 11 catches for 151 yards. Quarterback Jayden Maiava was also pretty good himself. Yet, it was a mixed bag for the USC defense.
The Trojans gave up a lot of explosive plays, but the defense made many timely takeaways. Illinois had two turnovers inside the five-yard line of USC, including one in the fourth quarter that would have all but secured the win.
USC’s Maiava deserves credit for the go-ahead drive capped off by another great throw to Lemon. However, Illinois’ two-minute drive on the final series was perfectly executed before making the game-winning kick. All in all, it was a great game to watch. USC still has to address its defense, but at least they are opportunistic. The loss brings the Trojans back to earth in the conference, which is fine because now we can reset our expectations for the remainder of the season.
Upset Special: Oregon Over Penn State
The game between Penn State and Oregon was as expected. Two teams with terrific interior talent in a slugfest that would go down to the wire – and it did.
While the offenses didn’t light up the scoreboard in the first half, you knew it would only be a matter of time before both teams would find their footing. Oregon was the first team to find the endzone, scoring a touchdown on a methodical third quarter drive highlighted by Kenyon Sadiq and Oregon’s rushing attack. The Ducks would pull ahead to a 17-3 lead, but Penn State managed to claw its way back into a tie after a controversial penalty on Alex Harkey. It stalled an Oregon possession, which gave Penn State a much-needed possession to even the game before overtime. Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime period.
However, it was Oregon that scored on the first play of the second overtime, while Penn State threw a game-clinching interception on their first play of overtime; which, bring up some thoughts on the game as a whole.
Watching Penn State’s offense, they were designing very good runs that, with their running backs, should have been more successful. Oregon’s defensive line, namely Bear Alexander, was terrific at shutting down runs and never allowing Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen to wreck the game.
As for Oregon, Dante Moore’s poise under pressure stood out. He looked like a seasoned passer and made one clutch play after another, with some help from Dierre Hill and Dakorien Moore. On the contrary, Drew Allar wasn’t as sharp as needed to be. A lot of passes sailed on his receivers, and despite the game being even through the first three quarters, Moore looked like the much better quarterback.
Allar’s interception that decided the game is unbecoming of a quarterback with his experience in games such as this one. Ultimately, neither team will be greatly impacted by the outcome of the game. However, it’s another loss for James Franklin against a top-10 opponent and a blemish for Allar.
Who Hurt Themselves the Most in Week 5?
Arguably the biggest winner of last week is Ole Miss, beating LSU at home and climbing up the ranks to the No. 4 spot. Meanwhile, the Tigers are looking worse for wear.
LSU has managed to win games this year, but has looked shaky in the process. When you hold their wins up to the light, they don’t shine as bright. Their Week 1 win versus Clemson doesn’t carry the same luster as it once did. You can certainly say the same about their win versus Florida. Most of all, the person who looks the most challenged in this is Garrett Nussmeier
With each passing week, Nussmeier looks more and more average. It leads to question if he has the talent to elevate the roster through a treacherous remaining schedule and if he can do it into the postseason should the Tigers make it that far. Around this time last year, Nussmeier was viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and a highly coveted NFL prospect. What a difference a year makes.
For LSU, a promising season is on the line over the next month of football. Yet for Nussmeier, his draft stock is also largely at risk; hence, Nussmeier hurt himself the most last week.
College Football: Week 6 Spotlight and Upset Special
Saturday Spotlight: Vanderbilt at Alabama
Last season, Vanderbilt and Alabama played in one of the best games of the season. Entering the contest as the heavy favorite, No. 1-ranked Alabama got roped into a shootout against the Commodores, where Diego Pavia was sensational and outshone Jalen Milroe. Following the win, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea stated, “We’ve got more ahead of us, but this is what Vanderbilt football needs to be about: Big wins on big stages. We’re going to go get some more.”
Since then, the Commodores have done just that as they went on to win a bowl game in 2024 and now are ranked in the top-25. They are undefeated to begin the year. And, their rematch with Alabama sits exactly one year to the day after Vanderbilt upset the Crimson Tide.
Diego Pavia has continued his sensational run, completing nearly 75-percent of his passes and throwing for nearly 10 yards per attempt. Tight end Eli Stowers, who was a major factor in the win last season, leads the team in receiving yards. He is a big, versatile target for Pavia in the middle of the field.
As for Alabama, Ty Simpson has steadily improved since the early-season loss to Florida State and has made strides with his decision-making. Like last year, it could easily become a shootout, and one has to wonder if Vanderbilt has the personnel to mitigate Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams. Let’s also consider what the outcome means for both teams.
If Alabama wins, they would have quality wins over Georgia and Vanderbilt in their conference ahead of their games with Tennessee and Missouri, both winnable matchups. Assuming they win the latter two games, that leaves Alabama as one of the upper echelon programs in the conference.
It’s a similar story for Vanderbilt, because they have common opponents with Alabama in the form of Tennessee, LSU, and Missouri. Yet, if Alabama were to lose at home to Vanderbilt as a heavy favorite, it undoes all the progress Alabama has made since the loss to Florida State. And, Kalen DeBoer once again will have to defend himself from questions as to why his team disappoints against lesser talent; and at the extreme end of the spectrum, about his job. For the Commodores, they would still have a ways to go, but could build their case as a fringe team in the College Football Playoff.
Upset Special: Cincinnati Over Iowa State
Iowa State has managed to make it out of their scheduled unscathed, winning a lot of tight games against average to subpar competition. A 3-point win versus Kansas State, a 1-point win versus Iowa, and a 1-score win versus Arkansas State. While you’d like to commend Iowa State for its mettle in clutch moments late in games, that pattern isn’t sustainable. It’s even more arduous after losing starting cornerbacks Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper for the season.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht still hasn’t cemented himself as one of the elite players in college football. And without an above-average running game, a lot has fallen on the defense to play lights-out football.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby leads his team in both passing and rushing and will look to rely upon Cyrus Allen as his go-to guy. He also has Caleb Goodie, who is a big-play threat downfield. If Cincinnati can muster enough explosive plays, it will task Becht with carrying Iowa State offensively, and the Bearcats have a pretty solid pass rush led by Jake Golday. With a tough slate ahead in the conference, Iowa State gets mauled by the Bearcats, 28-17.
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