College Football Week 5 Roundup: Unbeatens Put On The Brink

In yet another wild weekend of college football action a number of top teams were put to the test

Harvey Dent told Gotham City that “the night is darkest just before the dawn”, and in Week 5, things sure were dark for a few CFP contenders. But with their teams on the ropes, stars rose to the occasion. As Sunday dawned, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Clemson, and Oklahoma State woke to the sweet feeling of undefeated dreams still alive after passing major tests – while Wildcats, Huskies, and a Wolfpack were lost in the darkness.

Week 5 saw two top-ten teams go down while others were tested, the nickname “Thicker Kicker” enter our national lexicon, Greg Schiano and Ryan Day almost come to blows, and further proof that no one really wants to win the Big Ten West. Oh, and there have been unconfirmed rumors of wooden debris and a wagon wheel or two lining I-35 between Fort Worth and Norman, perhaps from a Sooner Schooner careening off the path.

Now, let’s get to the action.

GEORGIA 26 MISSOURI 22

Trailing 22-12 with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter, Georgia faced a fourth down at the Missouri 4-yard-line. The Bulldogs had already settled for field goals on three previous red zone drives, and Kirby Smart elected to go for it. Georgia converted the fourth down on an end-around and scored the following play to narrow the deficit to 22-19. The Bulldogs fed off Smart’s aggressiveness the rest of the game – the defense held Missouri to just 15 yards in the fourth quarter and Georgia finally took the lead when Daijun Edwards plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown with 4:03 remaining.

The past two weeks against Kent State and Missouri, Georgia has looked mortal, and Missouri in particular gave Georgia all they could handle. Kicker Harrison Mevis drilled 5 field goals – including 3 from 49 yards or longer – and the Missouri defense confused Georgia for much of the game, forcing 2 turnovers, holding the Dawgs to just 4-13 on third down, and generating 9 TFLs. However, Georgia leaned on a familiar formula to win – strong defense and just enough magic from QB Stetson Bennett.

This test should serve Georgia well in the long run, and they will be able to take advantage of a favorable schedule to get back on track offensively. The Dawgs return home for matchups against Auburn and Vanderbilt that they will be heavily favored in before entering their season-defining stretch – consecutive games against Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Kentucky.

OLE MISS 22 KENTUCKY 19

Lane Kiffin implored Ole Miss fans to pack up the tailgates in “The Grove” early and pack the stadium this weekend for the matchup with undefeated Kentucky, and Rebel fans delivered. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was rocking for this back-and-forth game that showcased two teams trying to rise to the upper echelon of the SEC trading body blows. Ultimately – like so many are – this one hinged on mistakes, and represents a giant missed opportunity for Mark Stoops’ Kentucky team.

After Ole Miss scored first, Will Levis and Kentucky responded with a long drive, but Matt Ruffolo missed a 39-yard field goal. Kentucky finally broke through with a Chris Rodriguez Jr. touchdown with the Rebels ahead 14-0, but Ruffolo’s PAT was blocked. After forcing a Rebel punt on the next drive, Levis made the ill-advised decision to scramble more than ten yards backward into his own end zone, resulting in a safety to give Ole Miss a 16-6 lead. After an Ole Miss field goal, Levis found Tayvion Robinson for a touchdown, but Kentucky again failed to convert the PAT due to a bad snap. And that was just the first half!

In the second half, the three Kentucky fourth-quarter drives all ended in Ole Miss territory with 0 points to show for them. Trailing 22-19, Kentucky turned the ball over on downs at the Ole Miss 32, rather than trying a long field goal. On the next drive, Levis fumbled at the Ole Miss 21 on a big hit that could have been targeting. However, the stout Wildcat defense forced a three-and-out, giving the offense one last chance. But, after Levis hit Barion Brown for a 51-yard gain to move the ball to the 7-yard line, Kentucky was called for an illegal motion penalty that negated what would have been the game-winning touchdown on the next play. After the penalty, Levis was sacked and fumbled, allowing Ole Miss to escape with the win.

With the victory, Ole Miss vaulted into the top-ten and with games against Vanderbilt and Auburn the next two weeks, should head to Baton Rouge on October 22nd with an undefeated record. Kentucky will rue what could have been, with miscues directly costing the Wildcats at least 14 points. After hosting South Carolina next week, Kentucky enters a pivotal stretch against Mississippi State and Tennessee.

CLEMSON 30 NC STATE 20

It wasn’t pretty, but one week after getting shredded by Sam Hartman, the Clemson defense rebounded. The Tigers harassed NC State QB Devin Leary and the Wolfpack offense all game, holding the NC State to just 279 total yards. NC State managed only 1.6 YPC, 5.1 YPA, turned the ball over twice, and surrendered 3 sacks. Clemson trailed late in the first half, but a DJ Uiagalelei touchdown run with 31 seconds left in the half gave Clemson a 13-10 lead heading into the break. The Tigers would dominate the second half, stretching the lead to as much as 30-13 before a late Wolfpack touchdown resulted in the final margin.

Dabo Swinney has to be encouraged by his offense’s performance against a stout NC State defense. Uiagalelei continued his strong play by completing 70% of his passes with a touchdown while also leading the Tigers in rushing, posting 73 yards to go with 2 other scores. Clemson remains firmly in the CFP hunt and has road trips to Boston College and Florida State before a home date with Syracuse and its November 5th trip to Notre Dame.

OKLAHOMA STATE 36 BAYLOR 25

In a rematch of last year’s Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma State jumped out to a 23-3 lead, spurred by a 98-yard kickoff return by Jaden Nixon on the first play of the second half. Spencer Sanders was efficient, accounting for 256 total yards and 2 TDs, and though the Bears outgained the Cowboys, the Oklahoma State defense held Baylor to just 3 of 11 third down conversions and forced 2 Blake Shapen interceptions.

With the victory, Oklahoma State established itself as the team to beat in the Big 12. The Cowboys sit atop the Big 12 standings along with Kansas, Kansas State, and TCU (anyone call that in Week 5?), and now enter the meat of their schedule. Texas Tech visits Stillwater next week before Oklahoma State goes on the road to TCU, followed by a home game against Texas and road trips to Kansas State and Kansas.

ALABAMA 49 ARKANSAS 26

With Bryce Young knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury, Arkansas outscored Alabama 16-0 in the third quarter. The Razorbacks cut the lead to 28-23 with a short touchdown drive after a bad snap on an Alabama punt gave Arkansas the ball at the Alabama 3-yard line.

As the entirety of Razorback Stadium called the Hogs, Alabama showed the mettle of a championship contender. The Crimson Tide used a 77-yard run from Jalen Milroe, Young’s replacement, to set up a touchdown on the next drive, Jahmyr Gibbs broke a 72-yard touchdown after a Razorback punt to extend the lead to 42-23, and then a 76-yard touchdown to answer an Arkansas field goal and ice the 49-26 victory. In all, Alabama put up 239 yards in the fourth quarter alone as they outscored Arkansas 21-3 down the stretch.

Expect the Crimson Tide to carry that momentum into next week’s visit from Texas A&M before a massive road trip to Knoxville against Tennessee on October 15th.

McDONOUGH’S MUSINGS

~ One of the major themes from Week 5 was the difference that special teams made in so many games. You can bet that the below teams will be spending extra time in practice this week on the ever-important third phase of the game.

• Kentucky – A missed field goal, blocked extra point, and a bad snap on an extra point cost the Wildcats 5 easy points that would have come in handy in a 22-19 loss to Ole Miss.

• Baylor – Surrendered a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown on the first play of the second half, quickly turning a close 16-3 game into what proved to be an insurmountable 23-3 deficit.

• Texas Tech – After trailing the entire game, Tech missed a 42-yard field goal that would have given the Red Raiders a 23-20 lead with 14:50 left in the game. That proved to be a massive swing in momentum, as Kansas State responded with 17 unanswered points to put the game away.

• Minnesota – Trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter, the Gophers missed a chip shot 28-yard field goal that would have cut the lead to a touchdown. This proved important on a day Minnesota struggled to score in a 20-10 loss to Purdue.

• Texas A&M – Mississippi State returned a blocked Aggie field goal for a touchdown, resulting in a 10-point swing and turning what would have been a 14-6 game into a 21-3 Bulldog lead.

• Auburn – Leading LSU 17-7 late in the second quarter, Auburn missed a 40-yard field goal, and LSU responded with a touchdown drive to narrow the deficit to 17-14 at halftime. Then, with 5:31 left in the 4th quarter, Auburn fumbled a punt after its defense had made a big stop. Auburn’s defense did rally and force an LSU turnover on the next possession, but this still resulted in a loss of momentum in the Auburn comeback effort.

• Florida State – Missed a 29-yard field goal with 43 seconds left in the first half that would have cut the deficit to 21-10 and sent the Seminoles into the locker room with some much-needed momentum. The Seminoles also missed a 55-yarder late in the fourth quarter that would have pulled them within a touchdown, but that is more understandable.

• Iowa State – The Cyclones missed field goals from 38, 45, and 37 yards in a 14-11 loss at Kansas. The last miss came with 27 seconds left in the game, denying the Cyclones a chance to win in overtime. Matt Campbell has to be frustrated over losing a game in which his defense held Kansas to just 213 yards and his offense held the ball for over 35 minutes.

~ It’s hard to overstate how bad Iowa’s offense has been this season, turning a season with Big Ten championship aspirations into a boring, frustrating slog for Hawkeye fans. The Hawkeyes, who now sit at 3-2, have wasted the effort of the nation’s 7th-ranked defense with the ineptitude of the 130th-ranked offense (there are 131 FBS teams). Saturday was no different, as Iowa held Michigan’s explosive offense in check for much of the game, surrendering only 327 total yards, while the Hawkeye offense went scoreless until the 4th quarter when Michigan already led 20-0. This game felt over as soon as Michigan kicked a field goal with 9 seconds left in the first half to take a 13-0 lead into the locker room.

~ Auburn’s dysfunctional, self-destructing 21-17 loss was a microcosm of the Bryan Harsin era – and is why barring a miraculous turnaround, Harsin will not see a third season on the Plains (he still has a job as of writing, but a midseason move would not be surprising). The Tigers blew a 17-0 in this game by turning the ball over 4 times (one of which resulted in a defensive touchdown), committing 8 penalties, and failing to execute on special teams. For those looking for a one-minute video clip of why Harsin failed at Auburn, check out the 12:03 mark in the fourth quarter. Trailing 21-17 but having driven the ball to the LSU 10-yard line behind the right arm of QB Robby Ashford, who threw for 337 yards, Auburn instead called a wide receiver pass. Koy Moore was intercepted, and Auburn never threatened again.

~ Missouri may have lost the game, but kicker Harrison Mevis deserves a shoutout. Mevis, affectionately known by his nickname “Thicker Kicker”, was an All-American last year and has been one of the most accurate kickers in the country the past two seasons. However, last week in a heartbreaking 17-14 overtime loss to Auburn, he missed a 26-yard field goal that would have won the game in regulation (likely saving the aforementioned Harsin’s job). Rather than sulk, Mevis responded by almost singlehandedly lifting the Tigers to victory on Saturday, going 5-5 on field goals, including 3 from more than 49 yards, and setting a great example for overcoming adversity.

STOCK UP FROM THE WEEKEND

~ The State of Kansas (Again) – Who would have thought that Kansas and Kansas State would be sitting atop the Big 12 standings in early October. The Jayhawks won a slugfest with Iowa State 14-11, showing they could win a game on the strength of their defense. In Manhattan, Adrian Martinez continued his strong play as Kansas State scored 17 unanswered points to pull away at the end from Texas Tech, 37-28.

~ The State of Mississippi – The Magnolia State also had a great weekend. Ole Miss secured arguably the biggest Rebel victory in years with a 22-19 win over previously unbeaten Kentucky and jumped into the top-10 in the polls. In Starkville, Mississippi State dispatched Texas A&M 42-24 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. Keep this up and the Egg Bowl could be a juicy Thanksgiving matchup.

~ UCLA – The Bruins moved to 5-0 with a win over Washington on Friday night. UCLA has been flying under the radar, perhaps due to a last-second win over South Alabama, but with QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson leading a diverse passing attack complemented by RB Zach Charbonnet, the Bruins figure to be a tough out. We’ll learn whether UCLA is for real the next two weeks – the Bruins host Utah next week before a road trip to Oregon on October 22nd.

STOCK DOWN FROM THE WEEKEND

~ Big Ten West – Does anyone want to win this division? It sure doesn’t seem like it. After Saturday’s debacle, 6 teams sit tied for the division lead with a 1-1 conference record. Northwestern scored 7 points in a loss to Penn State, Minnesota choked away a game against Purdue in the fourth quarter, Iowa’s offense showed no signs of life until it was too late against Michigan, and Wisconsin – big, bad, physical Wisconsin – ran for 2 yards against Illinois. Kevin Warren has to be counting down the days until USC and UCLA show up.

~ Texas A&M – What looked like one of the games of the year heading into the season has turned into Jimbo Fisher hoping that Nick Saban will let bygones be bygones next weekend in Tuscaloosa. The Aggies can’t score, and now the defense is starting to show cracks, surrendering 473 yards to Mississippi State. That win over Miami looks more concerning than impressive at this point (A&M managed 17 points when Middle Tennessee State scored 45?) and the loss to Appalachian State looks like no fluke. With $30 million invested in the 2022 class, Fisher’s seat is going to get real hot, real fast.

~ Oklahoma – Two weeks ago, Oklahoma dismantled Nebraska 49-14 and looked like one of the four best teams in the country. Since then, the Sooners have given up 0.68 miles of offense to Kansas State and TCU, and on Saturday against the Horned Frogs, were fortunate that Sonny Dykes called off the dogs up 55-17 in the fourth quarter, because the Frogs could have easily gotten 75 points. Brent Venables was brought into a good situation and charged with improving the defense – the only thing that held Lincoln Riley’s teams back. It’s not off to a good start.

~ The State of Colorado – One of the unsung benefits of conference realignment is that we don’t have to be subjected to a Colorado vs. Colorado State matchup this year. The Rams staked a claim to be the nation’s worst team with a non-competitive 41-10 loss to FCS Sacramento State on Saturday. Not to be outdone, rumors are Colorado lost 43-20 to Arizona in a game that we’re not sure anyone actually saw live. What we do know for sure is that Colorado fired Karl Dorrell on Sunday. This is a program that won a national title in 1990 while being one of the nation’s premier programs for much of that decade, is located in a booming state, and should be much better than it is. Still, it looks like a massive rebuild in Boulder as the 23-point loss on Saturday is embarrassingly the closest game Colorado has played this season.

BIGGEST GAMES OF WEEK 6

• #8 Tennessee at #25 LSU, 12 PM, ESPN
• Texas at Oklahoma, 12 PM, ABC
• #17 TCU at #19 Kansas, 12 PM, FS1 (never thought I’d be listing this game)
• Arkansas at #23 Mississippi State, 12 PM, SECN
• #11 Utah at #18 UCLA, 3:30 PM, FOX
• Washington State at #6 USC, 7:30 PM, FOX
• #16 BYU vs. Notre Dame, 7:30 PM, NBC
• #5 Clemson at Boston College, 8 PM, ABC
• Texas A&M at #2 Alabama, 8 PM, CBS
• Florida State at #14 NC State, 8 PM, ACCN

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