Saturday Spotlight: Vanderbilt vs. Missouri
Clark Lea and his feisty team do it again. The Vanderbilt Commodores’ magical season continues after they win a tight contest at home against a surging Missouri team. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Diego Pavia who was the driving force for the win. Instead, the Vanderbilt defense was terrific, holding Missouri to 10 points.
Points were at a premium, as neither team found the end zone in the first half. Makhilyn Young gave the Commodores a 10-3 lead after he raced to the end zone on an 80-yard run. Also, credit to Missouri for continuing to stay in the game after Beau Pribula left with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
Matt Zollers stepped in, and the offense didn’t miss a beat. He was accurate and orchestrated the offense well. Unfortunately, Missouri made one too many mistakes in the closing stages of the game. Jamal Roberts fumbled as Missouri was on the verge of taking the late lead, setting up Vanderbilt on a short field. On the ensuing drive, Missouri committed multiple penalties, and Vanderbilt capitalized to take the 17-10 lead.
Missouri had one last chance as Zollers heaved a ball towards the end zone with no time left to try to tie the game. Kevin Coleman made the catch, but inches short of the goal line as Vanderbilt left with a win. A game that lived up to the billing of being the Saturday Spotlight.
Upset Special: LSU over Texas A&M
Last week in the preview of this game, there was a growing sense that Brian Kelly’s seat was hot, yet not discussed as prevalently as other coaches. Unbeknownst to me and likely Kelly, this game would be his last as coach of the Tigers. LSU entered the break with a lead, and for how things were going, you thought they were in control and possibly pulling off the win. Their special teams and defense were playing complementary football. Texas A&M had three consecutive drives that resulted in a safety and two interceptions.
Yet, even then, LSU could only turn that sequence into nine points. The Aggies made adjustments and came out red hot in the second half. Marcel Reed capped off Texas A&M’s first drive of the second half with a touchdown, and then KC Concepcion returned a punt 79 yards to give the Aggies a 10-point lead, which they never looked back from.
Garrett Nussmeier, who needed to have a big game, was unspectacular and averaged just 4.8 yards per pass attempt. LSU shrank into a shell in the second half and was outscored 35-7 in the final two quarters. With the loss, LSU is 5-3, looking for a new coach and salvaging the rest of their season.
Who Hurt Themselves the Most in Week 9?
Yet another week where a coach at a premier college program is shown the door. Last Sunday, LSU dismissed Brian Kelly as coach of their football team. Unlike James Franklin’s firing from Penn State, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Kelly has disappointed for much of his tenure with the school. And, despite having great recruiting classes, Kelly has severely come up short on expectations. Furthermore, Kelly has struggled to compete within the SEC, having never won the title in his tenure with the Tigers, including a 0-2 record versus Georgia. Most damning of all, Kelly has never taken LSU to the College Football Playoff.
Two close losses to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt were the tipping point. However, last week’s loss to Texas A&M proved to be the last straw, and Kelly was relieved from his duties. How much LSU could owe Kelly is inconclusive as of now, but the Tigers might owe him $54 million in a buyout for the remainder of his contract. Kelly’s firing also coincides with Florida’s decision to fire Billy Napier, leaving two big jobs available in the conference. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has been linked to both openings, with Kiffin being mum on the prospect of him leaving the top 10-ranked program to go elsewhere. 2025 has been a stunning year where the once mighty have fallen.
College Football: Week 10 Spotlight and Upset Special
Saturday Spotlight: Tennessee vs. Oklahoma
This week’s Saturday Spotlight features two teams desperately trying to claw their way back into the chase for the SEC title. For the last four games, Oklahoma has alternated wins and losses, with losses to Texas and Ole Miss during that span. Since returning from injury, John Mateer’s play has mirrored his team’s record.
Mateer, at one point, was considered in the running for the Heisman Trophy. Yet now, he’s just hoping he can get back to consistent football to give his team a chance at the postseason. On the other end, Tennessee bounced back from its loss at Alabama and got rolling versus Kentucky, scoring 56 points.
Joey Aguilar faces one of his biggest tests facing Brett Venables’ defense that features R Mason Thomas and Gracen Halton. Brett Venables has made good quarterbacks look silly. The question is, can Aguilar turn things around and play a great game against an elite defense without making big mistakes?
Upset Special: Cincinnati Over Utah
This week’s Upset Special is somewhat of reverse psychology, as Utah is favored against Cincinnati despite being the lower ranked team. That said, the books have it wrong; Cincinnati will win in Utah.
Ever since their narrow loss versus Nebraska in the season opener, Cincinnati hasn’t lost a game, beating its opponents by an average of 22 points. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been near flawless, throwing 20 touchdowns to only one interception, and still 53 yards shy of the team lead in rushing yards. Cincinnati also has some speed on the outside with Caleb Goodie, who has terrific speed to take the top off a defense.
On the defensive side, Jake Golday is the type of linebacker you want. He’s big, strong, can rush the passer from the interior, and is versatile enough to play the passing lanes on short throws. The one area where Cincinnati needs to be better is getting takeaways. The Bearcats have one interception all season. As luck would have it, Utah’s Devon Dampier has thrown an interception in three of his five games this season. Cincinnati will force a few turnovers and get the late-night win. Utes yield to the Bearcats 27-23.
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