Best of Week 10: Ohio State’s irregular win, Georgia endures
- David Hale, ESPN Personnel WriterNov 2, 2024, 09:00 PM ET Close College football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.
- Graduate of the University of Delaware.In a season littered with not likely twists, in a sport specified of late by frustrating modification, it’s nice to know some things stay as steadfastly particular as the morning sunrise.Well, unless you’re a Penn State fan.On the surface area, we had a top-five face-off of Big Ten powers to heading Week 10, but it hardly felt like the Penn State-Ohio State matchups of old. This is, naturally, a new-look Big Ten, and Ohio State had actually already suffered the consequences of growth three weeks back in a narrow loss to Oregon, as Will Howard slid far too late and the clock abandoned any comeback quote. The Buckeyes showed up in Delighted Valley as a case study in modern-day college football economics, too, sporting a lineup valued at approximately the gross domestic product of Luxembourg. Penn State, too, was billed as a new-look variation of its former self, one bolstered by a more innovative offense led by brand-new organizer and Dairy Queen enthusiast Andy Kotelnicki, who promised to prevent the very same malaise that had actually dogged the program in numerous prior top-10 matchups and deal, rather, the periodic open receiver.And yet, what we got– an erratic, thrilling, physical 20-13 Ohio State win– looked just like old times, for much better and for worse.Editor’s Picks
Never mind that the offending line was patched together with duct tape and popsicle sticks, like some sort of HGTV rehab project property owners can’t wait to flip. The front still won every consequential fight in the trenches, turning third-and-short into a near automated initially down once again and once again, feasting on clock like it was Halloween candy, consisting of an 11-play drive that started at the Buckeyes’ 1 and soaked up the final 5:13 of the game and consisted of 2 critical third-and-short conversions. The defense, on the other hand, utterly flummoxed Penn State yet again, taking away any hazard of a downfield attack and stonewalling the Nittany Lions at the goal line twice, consisting of on 4 straight plays from inside the 3 late in the 4th quarter.When Penn State hired Kotelnicki this offseason, it was with the expressed function of scripting a new game plan for exactly this moment. Again and again under James Franklin, the Lions have lost versus the leading groups in the Big 10, consisting of, now, a 1-10 record versus Ohio State. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is punished by the gods for tormenting guests to his kingdom, doomed to a life pushing a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll back down the other side, on through eternity. It would be an apt example for Franklin’s profession at Penn State, other than the Nittany Lions are constantly so inviting when Ohio State or Michigan concern town. The only explanation is that this is punishment for making Vanderbilt great in the 2010s, and somebody must inform Clark Lea to cool it before he ends up going 9-3 at USC for a decade straight.For Day, this wasn’t the supreme referendum on what has actually been a magnificent, though incomplete, résumé at Ohio State, however it was a needed win after the stumble at Oregon. His success is not measured by mere victories, but in how many of the tallest mountains he has scaled, and while Penn State is barely his Everest, it wasn’t a face plant down a flight of stairs either.It was a game between two quarterbacks who grew up dreaming of playing on the opposite sideline– Ohio native Drew Allar for the Lions versus Pennsylvania native Will Howard for the Buckeyes. Obviously, all homeowners of Ohio and Pennsylvania ultimately wish to move to an apartment in Boca Raton, however these guys a minimum of intended to remain near to home for college. Neither was magnificent Saturday, and each threw a crucial interception– Allar’s on a goofy play at the back of completion zone and Howard’s on a harsh pick-six throw that begged for the losing-contestant jingle from “The Price is Right “to be played over any subsequent replays– but it was Howard who prevailed and, like in the Oregon game, scrambled and slid late to go out the clock. This time, a celebration followed the final ticks.It was a game that, a minimum of in useful terms, meant little for the Big 10 race or the College Football Playoff. Oregon and Indiana are now the league’s lone
unbeaten groups, however Ohio State and Penn State still appear all however particular to land a quote in the playoff. And yet, each lawn Saturday felt crucial, each play a chapter in a legendary tome about 2 coaches wanting to prevent another risk and 2 groups looking to prove something substantial– to themselves as much as to the remainder of the college football world.Perhaps that’s the genuine takeaway from Ohio State’s performance Saturday. Yes, it felt in some ways like a cut-and-paste to games past, when the Buckeyes enforced their will and the Nittany Lions fought versus the approaching darkness; when Day proved once again why he’s Ohio State’s finest opportunity at a national title and Franklin shoved that stone a couple of more inches up the hill, understanding full well the void that waited for on the other side. It’s a film we’ve seen before, but it’s constantly nice to rewatch the classics.Jump to: Miami throttles Duke|Tossing Darts|Pavia 3-0 vs. Freeze Georgia holds off Florida|Ambiance shifts
Miami whips Manny With 13:51 to play in the game, Duke kicked a basket to pull to
within 1 of Miami. 8 minutes of game time later on, the Canes were up 53-31, marking the second-most undesirable thing Miami has done to Manny Diaz in the previous3 years.Diaz, who coached
at Miami, initially as a defensive organizer and then as head coach, from 2016-2021, made his go back to South Florida with his 6-2 Duke team and, for 3 quarters at least, put up a great fight.The problem? Cam Ward is a magician.Just some more Web cam Ward magic for your timeline: ABC #GoCanes
| #HE 1SMAN pic.twitter.com/OpPUUF7iQX!.?.!— Miami Hurricanes Football(@CanesFootball )November 2, 2024 Ultimately, Ward tossed for 400 backyards and 5 goals, pulled a live bunny out of his helmet and sawed Mario Cristobal in half.Miami’s defense continues to be a concern, however.
The Canes enabled 325 yards passing to Maalik Murphy, but also picked him off 3 times to get away difficulty. That they didn’t break out
the turnover chain after each one to taunt their previous coach did feel like a missed chance though.Throwing Darts For much of the season, Ole Miss had been the chief perpetrator in using fake injuries to get an advantage in games
, however last week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a letter to schools signaling them the practice need to stop instant or there would be fines and, perhaps, suspensions. And yet, not even that caution could stop Arkansas ‘defense from rolling over and playing dead on Saturday.Jaxson Dart tossed for 515 lawns and 6 goals in Ole Miss
‘s rollicking 63-31 win, ending up being the first SEC player ever with 6 TDs, no picks and more than 500 passing lawns, according to ESPN Research. The bulk of Dart’s production was shown receiver Jordan Watkins, who hauled in eight catches for 254 lawns and 5 touchdowns.After the game, Lane Kiffin applauded his group’s emphatic efficiency and alerted Sam Pittman to prevent any airport tarmacs for a couple of days.Pavia’s Sugary food Home Diego Pavia threw for 2 goals as Vanderbilt overthrew Auburn 17-7 on Saturday, Pavia’s 3rd win in as several years versus Tigers’head coach Hugh Freeze.At New Mexico State in 2022, Pavia was a 23-point underdog versus Freeze’s Liberty and won 49-14. In 2023, Pavia led the Aggies into Auburn, where Freeze had taken control of as head coach, as a 25-point underdog and left with a 31-10 win. Then Saturday, Vandy was an 8.5-point underdog at Auburn and won once again. Aside from Houston Nutt’s lawyers, nobody has actually triggered more damage to
Freeze’s profession than
Pavia.Pavia is also now 3-0 career versus groups from the state of Alabama, and he ended up being simply the 13th QB in the past 20 years to pick up wins against Auburn and the Tide in the exact same season, signing up with stars like Joe Burrow, Johnny Manziel and Matthew Stafford and somehow also Mitch Mustain.Vandy is now bowl qualified for the first time given that 2018 and has actually won 4 SEC games for the first time since 2013, when James Franklin was head coach. So, a minimum of Franklin is being mentioned in something positive today.It ‘d be simple sufficient to come away from Saturday’s latest installation of the World’s Largest Outdoor Mixer wondering what’s incorrect with Georgia.
Certainly the offense has actually sputtered sometimes, and Carson Beck when again threw three picks, bringing his season tally to 11. The dull efficiency versus Florida follows comparable games against Kentucky and Mississippi State, together with a very first half against Alabama so miserable it cost the Dawgs the
game.But the most sensible explanation is Georgia wished to toy with Billy Napier.With a bit more than 4 minutes to play, Florida was tied with Georgia at 20, and Napier was poised to conserve his job.The Gators were riddled with injuries, losing QB DJ Lagway with a hamstring issue, and were required to make it through with a number of backups and a few of the guys working for the moving company who were leaving Napier’s stuff in anticipation of a blowout loss. It wasn’t constantly quite. play 0:32 Florida mishandles the FG and Georgia recuperates in fantastic field position Florida mishandles the field goal snap and Georgia recuperates the ball in Florida territory.Still, Florida kept hanging around. But this is how Georgia rolls. It dabble teams, provides a false sense of confidence, then sneaks up behind them and pulls their underwear up over their head.After Florida connected the game, Georgia crafted a 75-yard touchdown drive, picked off QB Aidan Warner one play later on, then scored again to turn the close game into a blowout.Week 10 vibe shifts Every week, the college football landscape is reordered by surprising outcomes in big games. However many smaller sized shifts occur, too.
We track them
here.Trending up: Oklahoma’s offense Here’s a fun truth: Oklahoma has actually averaged 36.5 points per game over its past 2. Now, please do not dig any deeper into that statistic.The Sooners got 203 lawns and 3 touchdowns from Jovantae Barnes, while QB Jackson Arnold threw 2 goals and went the whole game without splitting his trousers or dropping off to sleep in the huddle. Simply put, it was an extremely good day for Oklahoma’s offense.
Yes, it was against Maine, which is technically an FCS team, however there are just approximately 45 people who reside in Maine, so we presume at least half its defense is simply moose and bears
, which can’t be easy to
run against.Trending up: Boat rowing After an ugly 2-3 start to the season, PJ Fleck has the Golden Gophers riding high. Minnesota knocked off No. 24 Illinois– its 2nd ranked win in
four weeks– 25-17 behind 131 yards and a goal from tailback Darius Taylor.Minnesota lost on a late missed out on begin the opener versus North Carolina and lost by 3 to Michigan in a game it enabled simply 241 backyards early in the year, but the Gophers have actually rebounded by winning four straight and now look like the precise No. 5 team in the Big Ten, which is basically the same as being the fifth-best member of Van Halen. Sure, most folks stop counting after Sammy Hagar, however no one wishes to lag Gary Cherone.Trending down: Nebraska’s bowl hopes The Huskers, once 5-1 and ranked in the top 25, have actually now lost three straight after falling 27-20 to lowly UCLA on Saturday.Nebraska looked all but assured to make its very first bowl game since 2016 this year, however unexpectedly the chances aren’t rather so good. This was the Huskers’36th one-possession loss because that last championship game, 7 more than any other FBS team and 13 more than the next Huge Ten school.The remaining slate– at USC, vs. Wisconsin and at Iowa– uses no simple wins, so it could be an uphill struggle to take triumph No. 6.
On the plus side for Nebraska, no one there anticipates good ideas to take place to them anymore anyway.Trending down: FSU’s bragging rights A quick refresher on Florida State’s season: The Noles opened No. 10 nationally, lost in Ireland to Georgia Tech, lost later to Mike Norvell’s previous school, lost severely to competing Miami and lost for the first time in program history to Duke.But a minimum of there was still some positive history on FSU’s side Saturday, as Mack Brown and North Carolina came to town.
Brown is an FSU alum, however he has actually never beaten his
alma mater, and certainly the Seminoles would be motivated to keep that streak alive and– sorry, we’re being told Omarion Hampton just scored again.Indeed, Hampton and the Heels romped, 35-11, handing Brown his very first win versus Florida State in 12 chances as a head coach going back to 1985. Next, Florida State prepares to reveal that “Smokey and the Bandit II “wasn’t truly that good, thus flushing yet another piece of its abundant history
down the drain.No matter the number of times we have actually assumed they’ve struck rock bottom, these Noles just keep digging. You really have to admire their decision.