Week 6 Analysis: The Film Doesn’t Lie

The first Saturday in October didn’t disappoint, with several upsets and milestone victories for some teams. Notre Dame went on the road to a hostile environment and scored 45 points. Georgia and Alabama remain the two teams to beat in the almighty SEC. Colorado is the last unbeaten team in the Pac 12, but the conference may officially be out of the College Football Playoff for a second-straight year. The Red River Rivalry game turned out to be the best game of the day and came down to a field goal. Ohio State’s offense continues to light up the scoreboard, West Virginia keeps winning and Clemson might run the table in the ACC. October is a month when strange things happen and as we approach week seven expect the unexpected.

Notre Dame: The Irish played a great game on the road to remain undefeated on the season. Notre Dame’s offense racked up 438 total yards. Sophomore quarterback Ian Book threw for 271 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Senior running back Dexter Williams rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Junior receiver Miles Boykin hauled in eight passes for 117 yards and two scores. The Irish defense forced two turnovers and held the Hokies scoreless in the third quarter.

ACC

Boston College: The Eagles played without their star running back A.J. Dillon and it showed as the offense finished with 120 yards on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Brown threw for 198 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles’ defense forced four turnovers, but came up short and lost their first conference game of the season.

Clemson: The Tigers’ proved last week’s scare against Syracuse was a fluke and came out on fire. Clemson’s offense racked up 698 total yards and scored 63 points to remain undefeated. The Tigers’ defense dominated and held the Demon Deacons scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter.  True freshman signal-caller Trevor Lawrence stayed healthy and threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Clemson steamrolled Wake Forest on the ground and running backs Travis Etienne, Lyn-J Dixon and Adam Choice combined for 458 yards and six rushing scores.

Duke: The Blue Devils had a bye-week.

Florida State: The Seminoles came out and played inspired football. Florida State had a 20-point lead in the third quarter before letting Miami march all the way back to steal the win. Junior quarterback Deondre Francois threw for 129 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Florida State’s defense held Miami’s offense to 102 yards on the ground.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets got their first conference win of the season. Georgia Tech’ racked up 554 yards of total offense and scored 66 points. TaQuon Marshall and Tobias Oliver combined for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Georgia Tech’s defense forced three turnovers and held the Cardinals’ offense scoreless in the first and third quarter.

Louisville: The Cardinals remain winless in conference play. The offense racked up 483 total yards, but couldn’t overcome three turnovers. Sophomore quarterback Jawon Pass threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns.

Miami: The Hurricanes started slow out the gates, but got everything together in the second half to pull out the close win. Freshman quarterback Nick Perry threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns. Miami’s defense held Florida State’s offense to 200 total yards, including 70 yards on the ground and forced two turnovers.

NC State: The Wolfpack piled up 533 yards of total offense and overcame four turnovers to remain unblemished on the season. Senior quarterback Ryan Finley threw for 308 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior running back Reggie Gallaspy rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Junior receiver Kelvin Harmon caught nine balls for 128 yards and a score.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels had a bye-week.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers racked 402 total yards on offense and scored 44 points to pull off the upset over the Orange. Sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for 137 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Running backs Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison combined for 299 yards on the ground and three rushing scores.

Syracuse: The Orange suffered their second-straight conference road loss in a close game that went into overtime. Senior Eric Dungey threw for 195 yards a touchdown and two interceptions. The offense couldn’t find any consistency and had three turnovers.

Virginia: The Cavaliers had a bye-week.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies got blown out by Notre Dame at Lane Stadium. The offense racked up 441 total yards. Junior quarterback Ryan Willis threw for 309 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Sophomore receiver Damon Hazelton caught 12 balls for 131 yards and a score.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons got punched in the mouth from the start and didn’t stand a chance against the Tigers. Wake Forest struggled to throw the ball and finished with just 74 yards through the air.

Big Ten

Indiana: The Hoosiers put up a fight against the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe but couldn’t hold up in the second half. Sophomore signal-caller Peyton Ramsey threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Junior receiver Nick Westbrook hauled in five passes for 109 yards and a score.

Illinois: The Fighting Illini won their first conference game of the season. Illinois offense racked up 419 total yards, had zero turnovers and scored 38 points. A.J. Bush and Reggie Corbin combined for 253 yards on the ground and three rushing scores. Illinois’ defense held Rutgers offense scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes racked up 420 total yards on offense and scored 48 points to claim the Floyd Rosedale Trophy. Junior quarterback Nate Stanley threw for 314 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Iowa’s defense intercepted four passes.

Maryland: The Terrapins’ offense struggled to throw the ball and finished with just 73 yards through the air. Maryland’s secondary got shredded and gave up nearly 300 yards. Senior running back Ty Johnson returned a 98-yard kickoff for a touchdown.

Michigan: The Wolverines seem to be getting better every week and remain unblemished in conference play. The offense racked up 465 total yards and scored 42 points. Junior quarterback Shea Patterson threw for 282 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Senior running back Karan Higdon rushed for 112 yards and junior tight end Zach Gentry hauled in seven passes for 112 yards. Michigan’s defense held Maryland’s offense scoreless in the second and third quarter and senior cornerback Brandon Watson returned an interception for a touchdown.

Michigan State: The Spartans lost their first conference game of the season. The offense racked up 425 yards, but struggled to run the ball. Junior quarterback Brian Lewerke threw for 329 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Michigan State’s defense limited Northwestern’s offense to just eight yards on the ground.

Minnesota: The Golden Gophers couldn’t run the ball with any consistency on offense, turned the ball over four times and lost their fourth straight to the Hawkeyes. Freshman quarterback Zack Annexstad threw for 218 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Junior receiver Tyler Johnson caught six balls for 107 yards and a score.

Nebraska: The Huskers remain winless on the year, but showed heart on the road and racked up 518 yards of total offense. The 100 yards in penalties proved too much to overcome. True freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns and added 57 yards on the ground and a rushing score. Sophomore receiver JD Spielman caught nine passes for 209 yards and a score.

Northwestern: The Wildcats got their first conference win of the season. Senior quarterback Clayton Thorson threw for 373 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior receiver Flynn Nagel caught 10 passes for 111 yards. Northwestern’s defense held Michigan State’s offense to 96 rushing yards and scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes racked up 609 total yards on offense, overcame three turnovers and scored 49 points to remain undefeated on the season. Sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw for 455 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior receiver Parris Campbell caught nine passes for 142 yards and two scores. The Buckeye’s defense forced two turnovers and held the Hoosiers’ offense scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions had a bye-week.

Purdue: The Boilermakers had a bye-week.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights struggled to get any consistency on offense and remains winless in conference play. Freshman quarterback Artur Sitkowski threw for 267 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Rutgers defense held Illinois’ offense to 89 yards through the air.

Wisconsin: The Badgers racked up 533 total yards of total offense and remains unblemished in conference play. Junior quarterback Alex Hornibrook threw for 163 yards and a touchdown. True sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for 221 yards and three scores. Senior linebacker T.J. Edwards had seven total tackles and two sacks.

Big 12

Baylor: The Bears racked up 557 total yards on offense and won their second conference game of the season. Sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 296 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Sophomore running back Trestan Ebner rushed for 100 yards and senior receiver Jalen Hurd hauled in 11 balls for 135 yards.

Iowa State: The Cyclones racked up 465 yards of total offense and scored 48 points on the road to get their first conference win of the season. True freshman quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 318 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Iowa State’s defense forced two turnovers.

Kansas: The Jayhawks remains winless in conference play and struggled on offense, finishing with 286 total yards. Senior quarterback Peyton Bender threw for 191 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Kansas State: The Wildcats racked up 468 yards of total offense, but turned the ball over three times to remain winless in conference play. Sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson threw for 149 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Junior running back Alex Barnes rushed for 250 yards and added three rushing scores.

Oklahoma: The Sooners suffered their first loss of the season in the highest scored Red River Rivalry game ever. Junior quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 304 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He also added 92 yards on the ground and a rushing score. Junior Marquise Brown caught nine passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys fought hard in an offensive shootout, but lost their second conference game of the season. Senior quarterback Taylor Cornelius threw for 289 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.

TCU: The Horned Frogs had a bye-week.

Texas: The Longhorns racked up 501 yards of total offense and scored 48 points in the rivalry win over the Sooners. True sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Junior receiver Lil ‘Jordan Humphrey hauled in nine passes for 131 yards and two scores. Texas remains unblemished on the season in conference play.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders had a bye-week.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers racked up 509 yards of total offense and overcame four turnovers to remain unbeaten on the season. Senior quarterback Will Grier threw for 332 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Freshman running back Leddie Brown rushed for 107 yards and a score. West Virginia’s defense held the Jayhawks’ offense to 80 yards on the ground and forced three turnovers.

Pac-12

Arizona: The Wildcats struggled on offense but their defense forced four turnovers, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns to earn their second conference win of the season. Junior quarterback Khalil Tate threw for 141 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils couldn’t find any consistency on offense and suffered their second conference loss of the season. Senior quarterback Manny Wilkins threw for 222 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Eno Benjamin rushed for 120 yards to go along with two rushing scores. Sophomore receiver Frank Darby caught three balls for 131 yards and a touchdown.

California: The Golden Bears racked up 476 yards of total offense, but couldn’t overcome four turnovers and lost their second-straight conference game. Sophomore quarterback Brandon Mcllwain threw for 315 yards and four interceptions and added 107 yards on the ground to go along with two rushing touchdowns.

Colorado: The Buffaloes racked up 494 yards of total offense and had no turnovers to remain undefeated on the season. Junior Steven Montez threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Senior running back Travon McMillan added 136 yards on the ground and sophomore receiver Laviska Shenault hauled in 13 passes for 127 yards and two scores. Colorado’s defense held Arizona State’s offense scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Oregon: The Ducks had a bye-week.

Oregon State: The Beavers racked up 497 yards of total offense, but couldn’t keep up in the offensive shootout with the Cougars and lost their third-straight conference game of the season. Sophomore quarterback Conor Blount passed for 172 yards and freshman running back Jermar Jefferson rushed for 138 yards and four touchdowns.

Southern California: The Trojans had a bye-week.

Stanford: The Cardinal racked up 423 yards of total offense, but struggled to run the ball and had four turnovers in their first conference loss of the season. Sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello threw for 381 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.  Receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside and tight end Kaden Smith combined for 16 catches for 223 yards.

UCLA: The Bruins played better offensively and put up a fight at home, but it wasn’t enough to get their first victory of the season. True freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 272 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Senior running back Joshua Kelly rushed for 125 yards and a score. Tight end Caleb Wilson hauled in eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Utah: The Utes played balance on offense and piled up 421 total yards and scored 40 points on the road to get their first conference win of the season. Junior quarterback Tyler Huntley threw for 199 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Zack Moss rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Utah’s defense forced four turnovers and held Stanford’s offense scoreless in the first and fourth quarter.

Washington: The Huskies racked up 462 yards of total offense and scored 31 points on the road to remain unblemished in conference play. Senior quarterback Jake Browning threw for 265 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Senior running back Myles Gaskin rushed for 116 yards and two scores. Junior receiver Aaron Fuller caught five ball for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Washington State: The Cougars came out on fire on offense and finished with 530 total yards and scored 56 points to get their second conference win of the season. Senior quarterback Gardner Minshew threw for 430 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Davontavean Martin caught eight balls for 119 yards and two scores.

SEC

Alabama: The Crimson Tide continues to demolish any team standing in their way. Alabama’s offense steam rolled Arkansas’ defense for 639 yards and scored 65 points. True sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns. Senior running back Damien Harris rushed for 111 yards two scores. True sophomore receiver Jerry Jeudy and junior tight end Irv Smith Jr. combined for six receptions, 258 yards and three touchdowns. Alabama’s defense forced three turnovers.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks got blown out in their home stadium, but finished with 405 total yards on offense and scored 31 points. That’s not a bad performance after going up against a great Alabama defense. Junior quarterback Ty Storey threw for 230 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Sophomore running back Rakeem Boyd finished with 102 yards on the ground.

Auburn: The Tigers struggled offensively and couldn’t get the running game going, settled for three field goals and suffered their second conference loss of the season. The front seven on defense couldn’t stop the run and got mauled. Junior quarterback threw for 214 yards.

Florida: The Gators offense racked up 391 total yards and won their third-straight conference game. Sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks threw for 161 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Junior running back Lamical Perine added two touchdowns on the ground. Florida’s defense forced three turnovers.

Georgia: The Bulldogs racked up 560 total yards on offense and scored 41 points to remain unbeaten. True sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns. Georgia’s defense held Vanderbilt’s offense scoreless in the third quarter.

Kentucky: The Wildcats fought hard on the road and took the Aggies into overtime, but suffered their first loss of the season. Sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson threw for 108 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Benny Snell couldn’t find his groove and was held in check and out of the end zone. Kentucky’s defense forced two turnovers.

LSU: The Bayou Bengals couldn’t overcome three turnovers on offense and lost their first game of the season. Junior quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 192 yards and two interceptions. LSU’s defense held the Gators’ offense scoreless in the first and third quarter.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs’ offense steamrolled the Tiger’s defense for 349 yards on the ground and snapped a two-game conference losing streak. Mississippi State’s defense played with tenacity and held Auburn out of the end zone for the entire game. Senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald threw an interception, but rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and broke Tim Tebow’s SEC rushing record.

Missouri: The Tigers racked up 490 yards of total offense, but it wasn’t enough and they lost their second conference game of the season. Senior quarterback Drew Lock struggled throwing the ball it the rain and threw two costly interceptions. Junior running back Damarea Crockett rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown.

Ole Miss: The Rebels put up incredible numbers against an inferior foe in Louisiana Monroe. The Rebels’ offense racked up 826 yards of total offense and scored 70 points. Senior quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Receivers DaMarkus Lodge, A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf combined for 23 catches, 427 yards and three touchdowns.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks withstood pouring rain and played with a back-up quarterback to get their second conference win of the season. Senior signal-caller Michael Scarnecchia threw played better than expected and threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns. South Carolina’s defense intercepted two passes and held Missouri’s offense scoreless in the third quarter.

Tennessee: The Volunteers had a bye-week.

Texas A&M: The Aggies refused to lose and won their second-straight conference game. True sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 226 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Junior running back Trayveon Williams rushed for 138 yards and a score. Texas A&M’s defense held Kentucky’s offense to 70 yards on the ground and scoreless in the second and third quarter.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores struggled on offense, was limited to 13 points and remain winless in conference play. Senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur threw for 169 yards.