Week 5 Recap

Five weeks of the college football season are already in the books. This week UCLA showed us why they were ranked in the top 15, Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee showed us that the SEC East is basically up for grabs, and Arkansas showed everyone they are a force to be reckoned with (if they can just learn to finish). Next week sees the clash of the 6 top 15 teams of the SEC West (Hogs have a bye). But there were some exciting games this past weekend too.

How I Fared: (2-4, 19-12 overall)

Notable Games
1Florida State 56 North Carolina State 41; The Wolf Pack had the top ranked ‘Noles on the ropes for almost 3 quarters. And if you turned the game on near the end of the first quarter, you probably did a double take at the score. NC State was leading Florida State 24-7 after 15 minutes of play. After FSU scored 2TDs in the second quarter, the teams traded scores until late in the 3rd and early in the 4th when FSU scored 21 unanswered and took the lead for the rest of the game. QB Jameis Winston had a good showing in his first game back after being benched against Clemson. He was 26/38 for 365 yards, 4TDs and 2INTs. Rashad Greene ended the game with 125 receiving yards and a TD, Jesus Wilson had 109 yards and 2TDs and Christian Greene also caught a TD. RB Karlos Williams carried the ball 21 times for 126 yards and 3TDs with Dalvin Cook also rushing for a score. Wolf Pack QB Jacoby Brissett had a great game, going 32/48 for 359 yards and 3TDs. Bo Hines had 103 receiving yards and a TD, Johnathan Alsoton caught a TD and so did Matt Dayes. Shadrach Thornton rushed for 2TDs for NC State as well. Kicker Niklas Sade was 2/2 for FGs. The last ACC team to beat Florida State almost did it again on Saturday. FSU is yet to really play like the number one team in the country.

6Texas A&M 35 Arkansas 28 OT; This one hurt. I have no issues losing to a team that is better than us. But losing to a team we should have beat? That is a tough pill to swallow. I am not going to claim this as a moral victory because it wasn’t. It was the opposite. While the Hogs did play a great 3 quarters, a football game is 4. You can’t expect to win against teams in the SEC West by playing 3 great quarters. Three or 4 plays cost the Razorbacks the win in Arlington. And unfortunately, those mistakes were all on the Hogs. Texas A&M was able to capitalize on these errors and came out of JerryWorld with a win. Aggie QB Kenny Hill was 21/41 for 386 yards, 4TDs (2 in the 4th QT and one in OT) and an INT. Edward Pope had 151 receiving yards and 2TDs (the 2nd was 86 yards). Josh Reynolds caught the game-tying 59-yard TD and Malcome Kennedy caught what would turn out to be the 25-yard game-winner on the first play of OT. Brandon Williams also ran for a TD for Texas A&M. The Aggies scored 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter and OT. For the Hogs, QB Brandon Allen was 15/27 for 199 yards and a TD. TE AJ Derby caught a 44-yard TD (Hunter Henry also caught a TD pass but it was negated by a holding call on Dan Skipper). Alex Collins carried the ball 21 times for 131 yards, including a 50-yard TD run. Jonathan Williams rushed for 95 yards and a score, and punter Sam Irwin-Hill rushed for a 51-yard TD on a fake punt near the end of the second quarter. The first play of the 4th quarter was a 55-yard run by Jonathan Williams to the Aggie 3 yard line that was also negated by Skipper, this time for tripping. The Hogs did everything they needed to do to beat A&M: They won the time of possession battle 37 minutes to 23, they out-rushed the Aggies 285 yards to 137. But there were too many penalties and unfortunately, once again, Arkansas was unable to finish. The Hogs have a bye this week and then welcome Alabama and SEC Nation to Fayetteville. The Aggies go to Starkville to face 12th-ranked Mississippi State.

11UCLA 62 15Arizona State 27 (Thurs); Well… I was extremely wrong about this game. After the first quarter I was thinking I made a great pick. That lasted all of 5 minutes after the start of the second quarter. UCLA blew Arizona State right out of their own stadium. I think if ASU’s Taylor Kelly had been playing, the outcome would’ve been a little different. The same goes if UCLA’s Brett Hundley was unable to play. But he wasn’t, and showed why UCLA deserves to be ranked in the top 10. Hundley was 18/23 for 355 yards, 4TDs and a rush TD. Jordan Payton had 151 receiving yards and 2TDs, Eldridge Massington had an 80-yard receiving TD and Nate Iese also caught a TD. Nate Starks rushed for a score and Paul Perkins rushed for 137 yards. The special team’s MVP was Ishmael Adams, who had a 95-yard pick 6 and a 100-yard kickoff return TD. Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was 2/2 Sun Devil QB Mike Bercovici was 42/68 for 488 yards, 3TDs and 2INTs. Cameron Smith, Ellis Jefferson and Kody Kohl each caught TDs and Jaelen Strong had 146 receiving yards. Kicker Zane Gonzales was 2/2 on FGs for ASU. The Sun Devils outgained the Bruins 626-589 yards, but ASU turned the ball over 4 times to UCLA’s zero. If UCLA keeps this up through Pac-12 play, they are definitely a playoff contender.

12Georgia 35 Tennessee 32; For the second year in a row, Georgia ended up winning by just a FG. But this year they didn’t need any extra time to do it. Tennessee once again showed they are a pretty good team this season. The Volunteers came out of the gates strong, scoring the first 10 points. The Bulldogs responded with 21 unanswered points of their own before the Vols scored a TD with 18 seconds remaining the half to cut the lead to 4 points. Neither team found the end zone in the 3rd quarter, but the two teams traded TDs in the 4th, with Tennessee converting a 2-pt try on their first to bring the game within 3. The Vols were able to stop UGA on the next drive but the punt was downed at the TENN 1 and two plays later UGA forced a fumble and Josh Dawson recovered it in the end zone for a TD. Tennessee responded with another TD, but it was too little too late. They were unable to recover the onside kick and UGA was able to run out the clock. Georgia QB Hutson Mason was 16/25 for 147 yards, a TD to Nick Chubb, 2INTs and a 51-yard rush TD. Todd Gurley carried the ball 28 times for 208 yards and 2TDs. For Tennessee, QB Justin Worley was 23/35 for 264 yards and 3TDs. Jason Croom, Pig Howard and Marquez North each caught TDs and Jalen Hurd rushed for 119 yards and a TD. With South Carolina’s loss to Missouri, Georgia has the chance to take the SEC East.

Missouri 21 13South Carolina 20; I don’t think issues South Carolina’s team is having doesn’t really have much to do with the talent of the players. They showed they could beat Georgia. But all 4 of their other games show tell tale signs of underestimating their opponent. That is really the only explanation I can come up with to make sense of how they beat Georgia. There is no reason that this Missouri team (who lost to an Indiana team that proceeded to lose by 22 at home this week) should have had a chance to beat South Carolina in Williams-Brice. The SEC East seems to be up for grabs. Tiger QB Maty Mauk was 12/34 for 132 yards. RB Russell Hansbrough rushed for 43 yards and 3TDs and Marcus Murphy ran for 98 yards as well. For SCAR, QB Dylan Thompson was 21/37 for 219 yards and a TD to Pharoh Cooper. Mike Davis rushed for 104 yards and a score. Kicker Elliott Fry was 2/2 on FGs for the game. Many have questioned the Gamecocks’ decision not to go for two on their last TD. With hindsight being 20/20, they definitely should have gone for 2. But, that TD was scored with 7:25 left in the game and put SCAR up 20-7. Mizzou hadn’t scored since their first possession of the game, so I don’t really fault the HBC for not going for two, but it never should’ve come down to that decision making or breaking the game. I’m really worried about SCAR, I’m not sure they are mentally strong enough to overcome two home SEC losses.

16Stanford 20 Washington 13; Stanford is having trouble scoring this season. And after the fireworks UCLA put up, Stanford might be in big trouble. The upside, as always for the Cardinal, is their defense. They might not be putting up points in conference play, but their defense isn’t allowing much either. But, to win games you have to score when you defense stops the other team. And your defense can’t help when the offense turns the ball over. In conference play, the Cardinal is -5 when it comes to turnovers. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan was 17/26 for 178 yards, a TD, an INT and the game-winning rush TD with 4:29 left in the 4th quarter. Ty Montgomery caught the TD. Kicker Jordan Williamson was 2/3 on FGs for the game. On the other side of the ball, Washington QB Cyler Miles was 15/29 for 98 yards and a TD to Jaydon Mickens. Shaq Thompson also returned one of Stanford’s two fumbles 32 yards for a TD. Stanford has a tough game coming up in South Bend. That game should tell us a lot about both teams. The Huskies have a bye before playing California.

Colorado State 24 Boston College 21; This outcome makes USC look even worse than they did when they lost to BC. A Mountain West team came to an ACC team’s house and won? Ouch. (Not that I don’t respect the MWC, because I love the MWC and I love it when they beat ACC teams, but for the ACC and USC? That is a little embarrassing, I think.) The Rams have beat a Pac-12 team (Colorado) and an ACC team this season. Their only loss came to conference foe Boise State. And as I mentioned, BC upset USC (after USC upset Stanford). As far as this game goes, CSU QB Garrett Grayson was 27/41 for 268 yards, 2TDs and 2INTs. Rashard Higgins and Charles Lovett each caught TD passes and Treyous Jarrells rushed for a TD. Dee Hart also rushed for 117 yards. Kicker Jared Roberts also hit a 33-yard FG. For the Eagles, QB Tyler Murphy was 12/18 for 169 yards, an INT and a rush TD. Jon Hilliman rushed for 128 yards and 2 scores. Kicker Alex Howell missed a FG at the end of the second quarter. This was a major win for CSU and a big time loss for BC.

California 59 Colorado 56 2OT; This time Cal came out on the winning end of an exciting Pac-12 game. In this game, each QB threw for 7TDs. But the winning score came down to a FG. Cal QB Jared Goff was 24/42 for 458 yards, 7TDs and an INT. Stephen Anderson had 136 receiving yards and a TD, David Lasco caught a 92-yard TD and rushed for 108 yards, Kenny Lawler had 2 receiving TDs, and Chris Harper, Bryce Treggs and Lucas Gingold each caught TDs as well. Khalfani Muhammad rushed for a TD. The game winning FG was kicked by James Langford in the 2nd OT. For the Buffaloes, QB Sefo Liufau was 46/67 for 455 yards, 7TDs and an INT. Nelson Spruce had 179 receiving yards and 3TDs. DD Goodson, Bryce Bobo and Sean Irwin each caught TD passes. George Frazier caught and rushed for scores. Kicker Will Oliver was 0/3 on FGs. Colorado had 4th and goal at the CAL1 in the 2nd OT, but was unable to convert, giving Cal the chance to score the game winning FG.

Washington State 28 Utah 27; Both of these teams were coming off of big games last week. Utah had gone into the Big House and defeated Michigan and Washington State only lost to Oregon by a TD. This game didn’t start off well for the Cougars. Eric Rowe returned a pick 11 yards for a TD and a minute later, Kaelin Clay ran a punt back 58 yards for a score. Before the first quarter was over, Devontae Booker broke a 76-yard TD run to put the Utes up 21-0. The Washington State defense didn’t allow any more TDs after that. WSU QB Connor Halliday was 39/61 for 417 yards, 2TDs each to Dom Williams and Vince Mayle, and 2INTs. Utah QB Travis Wilson was 18/38 for 165 yards. Kicker Andy Phillips was 2/3 on FGs, missing one in the 2nd quarter. Washington State has been up and down this year, it will be interesting to see how they do going on. The same goes for Utah.

Texas State 37 Tulsa 34 3OT; Tulsa went into the 4th quarter of this game down 17-3 and was able to take Texas State to OT. Tulsa QB Dane Evans’ 1-yard TD with 10 seconds remaining in regulation sent the game into extra time but the Golden Hurricanes weren’t able to complete the comeback and ended up losing in triple overtime. Texas State QB Tyler Jones was 21/31 for 228 yards, 2TDS and a rush TD. Ben Ijah and Jafus Gaines each caught TDs in OT and Terrence Franks rushed for 2TDs, one of which was the game winner. Kicker Will Johnson was 1/1 on FGs. Tulsa QB Dane Evans was23/40 for 234 yards, 2TDs, an INT and a rush TD. Keevan Lucas and Connor Floyd each caught TDs and Zack Langer rushed for a TD. Kicker Carl Salazar was 2/2 on FGs, but one came in the 3rd quarter and wouldn’t be enough to win the game.

Yale 49 Army 43 OT; This game pitted two strong rushing attacks against each other. Without a doubt, the MVP of this game was Yale’s Tyler Varga. He rushed for 185 yards and 5TDs, including the game-winner in OT. QB Morgan Roberts was 23/40 for 290 yards, a TD to Ross Drwal, an INT and a rush TD. For Army, QB Angel Santiago was 6/8 for 117 yards and 2 rush TDs. AJ Shurr was 6/12 for 94 yards, a TD to Edgar Poe, 135 rush yards and a rush TD. Larry Dixon also rushed for a TD. Kicker Daniel Grochowski was 0/2 on FGs, missing one as the 4th quarter expired and the other in OT. Army is not starting off this season in a very good way.

ULM 22 Troy 20; This is an interesting game from the Sun Belt Conference. Troy is having a rough year thus far sitting at 0-5. ULM on the other hand, is 3-1 and 2-0 in conference play. This close win could be important down the line. War Hawk QB Pete Thomas was 28/43 for 328 yards, 2TDs and an INT. Ajalen Holley had 109 receiving yards and 2TDs. Rashon Ceaser had 121 receiving yards as well. Kicker Justin Manton was perfect on the night, hitting all 3 of his FGAs including the 29-yarder that would be the game winner. Trojan QB Brandon Silvers was 23/34 for 270 yards and 3TDs. Chandler Worthy caught 2TDs and Bryan Holmes caught the other. Both teams had a failed two-point conversion attempts, which ended up benefitting ULM. This ULM team has been good so far even without QB Kolton Browning.

Top 25
5Auburn 45 Louisiana Tech 17
7Baylor 49 Iowa State 28
8Notre Dame 31 Syracuse 15
9Michigan State 56 Wyoming 14
10Ole Miss 24 Memphis 3
17LSU 63 New Mexico State 7
18USC 35 Oregon State 10
19Wisconsin 27 USF 10
21Nebraska 45 Illinois 14
22Ohio State 50 Cincinnati 28
24Oklahoma State 45 Texas Tech 35 (Thurs)
25Kansas State 58 UTEP 28

Other Games
Fresno State 35 New Mexico 24 (Fri)
Kentucky 17 Vanderbilt 7
Rutgers 31 Tulane 6
Iowa 24 Purdue 10
Northwestern 29 Penn State 6
TCU 56 SMU 0
Maryland 37 Indiana 15
Akron 21 Pittsburgh 10
Minnesota 30 Michigan 14
Clemson 50 North Carolina 35
Miami (FL) 22 Duke 10
Air Force 28 Boise State 14
Nevada 21 San Jose State 10
San Diego State 34 UNLV 17

Stats and Scores from ESPN.com