College Football 2023: Winners and Losers from Week 5
Week 5 almost provided us with the first enormous upset of the 2023 college football season.
Georgia, though, managed to stave off a challenge from Auburn and headline a relatively straightforward slate so far.
Earlier in the day, USC rode Caleb Williams to a road win at Colorado. Then, as UGA survived its trip to Auburn, Texas pulled away from Kansas to set up a dramatic showdown with Oklahoma next Saturday.
Thanks to a pair of ranked clashes on the evening docket, there was plenty of drama to come. Ole Miss won a thriller over LSU, and Notre Dame squeaked past Duke on the road.
This piece was updated throughout Saturday's action.
Winner: Oregon State Handles Utah
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Washington State handed Oregon State its first loss of the season last weekend, but the Beavers took advantage of a big opportunity on Friday night in Corvallis.
Still without quarterback Cameron Rising, Utah had a nightmare day on offense. Nate Johnson and Bryson Barnes combined to complete just 13 of their 31 passes for 141 yards—a measly 4.5 per attempt—and the Utes gained only 88 yards on 29 non-sack rushes, too.
On the offensive side, Silas Bolden led OSU with 153 yards and two touchdowns on just eight touches.
Most importantly, the 21-7 victory kept the 19th-ranked Beavers squarely in the Pac-12 conversation.
Oregon State's next five games—at Cal, UCLA, at Arizona, at Colorado and Stanford—won't be easy, but they're all winnable. There's a definite path to OSU being a Pac-12 contender in the final two weeks.
At that point, clashes with Washington and at Oregon could be incredibly difficult. But this discussion wouldn't be happening without the valuable win over Utah.
Loser: Florida's Run Defense
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When I say the Gators had no answers for Ray Davis, I mean absolutely every bit of that statement.
During the opening half alone, the Kentucky running back piled up 206 yards and two scores on the ground (and caught a nine-yard touchdown). Davis propelled the Wildcats to a 23-0 lead within about 21 minutes.
Not a banner day for Florida's defense, you know?
Davis finished UK's emphatic 33-14 victory with 280 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Meanwhile, the Wildcats stonewalled the UF rushing attack, yielding just 96 yards on 26 non-sack attempts.
Including when UK ended its 31-game skid to Florida in 2018, the Wildcats have taken four of the last six matchups. Saturday's triumph also handed them a three-game winning streak in the series for the first time in 72 years.
Winner: Caleb Williams' Six-TD Day
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Caleb Williams has some serious competition in the Heisman Trophy race, but he's not budging from front-runner status.
In each of USC's first four contests, he accounted for no less than 276 yards and four touchdowns. The impressive streak continued on Saturday in a 48-41 victory—one that wasn't quite as nerve-wracking as the score might suggest—over Colorado.
Williams threw for a season-high 403 yards and a career-best-tying six touchdowns to help USC improve to 5-0.
"That kid is a flat-out baller," Colorado coach Deion Sanders told reporters after the game.
Two more Pac-12 quarterbacks—Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr.—are among the main competitors to Williams for the Heisman. But his odds of becoming the second two-time winner of the prestigious award are as strong as ever.
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Loser: Georgia Tech's Ugly Upset
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Two years ago, Bowling Green pulled off an epic upset as a 31-point underdog at Minnesota. This unexpected win wasn't quite as dramatic, but it certainly stung Georgia Tech.
Entering the game, the Yellow Jackets held a 2-2 record after snagging an ACC victory over Wake Forest last week. On paper, Tech at least had a path—even if not a necessarily likely one—to six wins and bowl eligibility in Brent Key's debut season as the full-time coach.
That doesn't look possible anymore.
Bowling Green quickly fell behind 14-0 but controlled the rest of the game. The 21-point underdogs racked up 438 yards and two interceptions (plus two turnovers on downs) in a surprising 38-27 result.
Miami, North Carolina, Clemson and Georgia all remain on Georgia Tech's schedule. Short of a major upset or two in the Jackets' favor, a postseason trip won't be happening in 2023.
Winner: Red River Drama
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When backup quarterback Jason Bean and Trevor Wilson connected for a 58-yard score in the third quarter, Kansas officially began to spark bad memories for Texas fans.
The demons of 2021 soon vanished, though.
After missing a field goal, the Longhorns recovered a KU fumble that sparked a blowout. Led by breakout back Jonathon Brooks, Texas found the end zone on three consecutive drives to turn a six-point game into a 40-14 rout. Brooks scampered for 218 yards and two scores on the day.
That means, for the first time in 12 years, Oklahoma and Texas will both enter the Red River matchup as undefeated teams.
Get your popcorn—and Corny Dogs, funnel cakes and turkey legs—ready for the battle at the State Fair of Texas next weekend.
Loser: Auburn's Coverage on Brock Bowers
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You might want to cover that guy, Auburn.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they apparently didn't have my genius advice in the fourth quarter on Saturday. Auburn had a real opportunity to stun the nation's top-ranked team, but Georgia leaned on its two-time All-American tight end with great success.
Brock Bowers finished the 27-20 win with eight catches for 157 yards and one touchdown with several clutch grabs.
In the third quarter, he reeled in a 29-yard pass to set up UGA's game-tying touchdown. Bowers made catches of 37 and 28 yards on the next drive to help the Dawgs take a 20-17 lead. Then, he capped the outstanding day with a 16-yard reception on 3rd-and-12 and a 40-yard touchdown to propel Georgia to its nerve-wracking victory.
Auburn deserves a golf clap for a solid performance, but the inability to contain Bowers cost the Tigers immensely.
Winner: Notre Dame Flips the Script
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After a demoralizing last-second loss to Ohio State last weekend, Notre Dame shifted that feeling to Duke.
Sam Hartman had a mediocre night, completing only 15 of his 30 passes for 222 yards and zero touchdowns. With the game on the line, however, the star quarterback came up clutch. As the clock ticked below one minute to play and with the Irish trailing 14-13, he scrambled 17 yards to convert a 4th-and-16.
Audric Estime then ripped off a 30-yard scamper to silence the Duke crowd and hand ND a hard-fought 21-14 road win.
Duke quarterback Riley Leonard's apparent ankle injury put a significant damper on the frantic final minute. His health is an absolutely crucial part of the Blue Devils' season.
But for Notre Dame, thanks to Hartman's heroics, the hope of a College Football Playoff berth lives on.
Loser: Anyone Who Didn't Watch Ole Miss, LSU
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If you're not a fan of either program, I understand why LSU's trip to Ole Miss might not have appealed to you. But, my friend, you missed an incredible game.
An absolute crazytown bananapants game.
The back-and-forth SEC contest was easily one of the most entertaining games of the season. Ole Miss amassed 711 yards of offense in a 55-49 triumph over No. 13 LSU, which collected 637 yards of its own.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart accounted for 439 yards and five touchdowns. LSU's Jayden Daniels countered with 513 yards and five scores. Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins totaled 181 yards and two touchdowns. LSU back Logan Diggs had 123 yards and two scores, and Brian Thomas Jr. reeled in eight passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns.
Yes, we can talk about LSU suffering the dreaded second loss. Sure, we could explore the impact for 4-1 Ole Miss.
But right now, today, I'd rather just bask in the aftermath of a thrilling, drama-packed, spectacular game.
Winner: West Virginia's Special Teams
9 of 9Considering how often the offenses and defenses are on the field, it's only rational to focus on those units.
Special teams can sometimes make all the difference, though. West Virginia's kick-blocking group provided a clear reminder of the third phase's value in a 24-21 upset at TCU.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers blocked two potential game-tying kicks. Mike Lockhart halted a 46-yard attempt with 4:47 to play in regulation, and Sean Martin tipped a 55-yarder in the final minute.
That's putting the special in special teams, for sure.
WVU improved to 2-0 in Big 12 action and 4-1 overall, and every victory lowers the temperature on Neal Brown's hot seat.
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