Week 10 was once again a banger in college football, especially in the afternoon games. Just like last week, the 2:30 time slot was filled with upsets, great games and a ton of shake-ups for the committee to deal with. So what exactly happened? Let me take you on a journey through week ten.
Ohio State Falls Apart in Iowa City
After their big win against Penn State last weekend, Ohio State looked unbeatable. They looked like potential champions, coming from behind and winning after Penn State’s early explosion to win 39-38.
Against Iowa, they looked nothing like that team, as the Hawkeyes drubbed the Buckeyes in a 55-24 beatdown that as an Ohio State hater, I will remember forever.
Last week’s hero JT Barrett threw four picks, including one returned for a touchdown, as Ohio State looked lost. Iowa’s quarterback Nate Stanley on the other hand was pretty much perfect, throwing five touchdowns and no picks. He’s the only quarterback to do that against Ohio State ever.
Iowa was up so much that even Kirk Ferentz pulled some crazy stuff. Known for punting on 4th and 1, Ferentz called the best play on the day. He called a fake punt in his red zone that worked to perfection, and the next play, Stanley threw a dart while an Ohio State player was dragging his ankles.
Iowa fans deservedly rushed the field after the game. The Hawkeyes 31-point margin of victory was the tied biggest loss that Urban Meyer suffered since Clemson blanked them 31-0 in the Playoff last year. Someone get him some pizza to console him!
Never Count Out Sparty in Bad Weather
Penn State needed to respond after their loss to Ohio State. They faced a trip to then-No. 24 Michigan State to try and get their way back into the national championship consideration.
But a biblical rainstorm delayed the game for over three hours, and the Spartans prevailed in another crappy weather game with a walk off 34-yard field goal by Matt Coghlin to get the 27-24 win for Michigan State.
Head coach Mark Dantonio always seems to get his team to perform when no one expects him to, but I’m not sure if even he expected the passing game to be so good. Normally a ground and pound team, quarterback Brian Lewerke had 400 yards and two touchdowns, leading Sparty to the victory.
For Penn State and James Franklin, there’s a sense he can’t get it done against good teams on the road. The Nittany Lions have not won a road game against a ranked team since he took charge in 2014, and their hopes of reaching the Big Ten title game for the second straight year seem dashed.
Bedlam Delivers Madness and Points
If you tuned in to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State’s annual rivalry game called “Bedlam,” and expected a traditional 16-14 Big Ten scoreline, oh man you must’ve been lost.
Instead, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State decided to block out the haters who complain about the “arcade” scores of Big 12 games, and posted a 62-52 shootout with the Oklahoma Sooners coming out on top after this classic Big 12 in Stillwater.
The game was 38-38 at halftime, and the final box score would give defensive coaches a heart attack. The OSU Cowboys put up 661 yards, only to be outdone by the Sooners putting up 785 yards!
Baker Mayfield was throwing bombs as he threw for 598 yards and five scores, strengthening his Heisman campaign, but the best player in my opinion was wide receiver Marquise Brown. He had nine catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns that were 84 and 77 yards. Gus Johnson kept calling him “Hollywood” Brown because he’s from Hollywood, Fl., and his second touchdown that put the Sooners up 55-45 had Johnson basically melt down in the booth.
Me too Gus, me too.
THE U IS BACK
All hail the mighty Turnover Chain. The Miami Hurricanes are still undefeated and looking like “the U” of old, beating the then-No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies 28-10 in Miami.
While it wasn’t the craziness of the Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium or whatever it’s called was electric on the night, and the Canes’ defense fed off the energy. Miami forced four turnovers – two picks and two fumble recoveries — and held the Hokies’ stud quarterback Josh Jackson to only 197 passing yards.
Head coach Mark Richt has turned his alma mater back into a team that drips with swagger, and the turnover chain is one of the coolest new things in college football. The Canes will have a huge test next week as they host the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And with College Gameday coming to visit, it could be Miami firmly putting themselves back on the map.
