B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Week 7
The halfway mark of college football's regular season doubled as the most exciting Saturday in 2023 so far.
By now, you might know Washington edged Oregon, Notre Dame smoked USC and several Top 25 teams lost to unranked opponents. You probably saw or read about a few standout individual performances, too.
Here at Weekly Awards, however, we enjoy analyzing some of those top stories but also look beyond the biggest headlines.
Northern Illinois is unpredictable. Arkansas is reeling. Iowa has the wildest juxtaposition in the country. Absolute madness—and a little déjà vu—happened in the late-night hours at Colorado State, too.
If you're new here, hi! B/R's Weekly Awards is an often-lighthearted review of what happened in college football over the weekend.
Team of the Week: Washington Huskies
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Washington's ascent is even more remarkable when you step back and consider where the program stood just two years ago.
Midway through the 2021 season, the school fired second-year coach Jimmy Lake after a sideline outburst served as the final straw of a deteriorating relationship. Washington trudged to a 4-8 record.
Kalen DeBoer has wasted no time resurrecting the Huskies.
After adding transfer quarterback Michael Penix Jr.—whom DeBoer coached while at Indiana in 2019—Washington put together a breakout year behind a dynamic offense and won 11 games. Only a tiebreaker kept the Dawgs out of the Pac-12 Championship Game.
This season, UW has ridden that powerful scoring attack to a perfect 6-0 start. The unit faltered in the fourth quarter on Saturday but recovered when it mattered most. As the clock ticked below 2:00 to play, Penix hit Rome Odunze for the decisive score in a 36-33 triumph.
Chasing a Pac-12 championship comes first, but Washington is every bit a College Football Playoff contender.
Statement of the Week: UNC Rolls Miami
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So many options for this section. You could take Tulane handling Memphis, Notre Dame hammering USC, Arizona walloping Washington State or several other good candidates.
But the Tar Heels deserve the attention.
North Carolina navigated a tight opening half in which Miami outplayed UNC but continued to sting itself with self-inflicted mistakes. Then, the Heels made their move in the third quarter.
Tez Walker snagged two of his three touchdowns in the frame, and UNC's defense nabbed two takeaways. Miami's 17-14 halftime lead quickly turned into a 35-17 advantage for the Tar Heels, who ultimately piled up 508 yards in a 41-31 victory and affirmed themselves—with respect to Duke—as the greatest threat to Florida State in the ACC.
North Carolina is now 6-0 with eminently winnable games against Virginia, Georgia Tech and lower-division Campbell up next. There's a strong chance the Heels will be 9-0 entering a decisive back-to-back opposite Duke and at Clemson in mid-November.
Trend of the Week: Hail Mary Wins
3 of 7Once in a while, a team provides an epic ending with a last-second heave that miraculously finds the right person.
We had two of those in Week 7.
Houston supplied the first Hail Mary victory on Thursday night. While trailing 39-35, Donovan Smith launched a pass toward the end zone as time expired. Somehow, it landed in Stephon Johnson's arms and gave the Cougars a wild triumph over West Virginia.
Saturday, we saw another one in Fort Collins. Boise State built a 30-10 advantage in the fourth quarter, but Colorado State capped a remarkable 21-point surge in the last 4:01 with Dallin Holker snagging a ricochet as the clock ran out. After an extra point, CSU had secured its first-ever win over Boise State in 13 attempts.
It's incredible that two games in a single weekend ended with one of the most improbable plays in football.
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Quiet Upset of the Week: NIU Surprises Ohio
4 of 7With no hesitation, my early nomination for strangest team of the season is Northern Illinois.
To open the campaign, the Huskies earned a 27-24 upset over Power Five opponent Boston College. The next weekend, NIU proceeded to drop a game against lower-division Southern Illinois 14-11. Three more losses later, the team smoked Akron 55-14.
So, naturally, NIU upended 5-1 Ohio on Saturday.
The defense surrendered just 254 yards and snagged three interceptions—all of which happened in the fourth quarter of the 23-13 victory.
At this point, I have no idea how to project what will happen for the rest of NIU's season. But, hey, the mercurial 3-4 Huskies are suddenly back in the hunt for bowl eligibility.
Panic Alarm of the Week: Arkansas Razorbacks
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Saturday's result is not reason for panic. In fact, the Razorbacks put together a respectable charge in a 24-21 loss at Alabama.
The story is the bigger picture.
Arkansas has now dropped five consecutive games and is clearly at risk of missing a bowl altogether. That would be a considerable letdown for the program, which won 16 games over the last two seasons.
Now, there is some hope. All things considered, the Hogs' remaining slate—Mississippi State, at Florida, Auburn, Florida International and Missouri—is very manageable. It doesn't hurt to have four games at home, too. I wouldn't give up on Arkansas just yet.
But the alarms are starting to ring. Either the Razorbacks start winning, or they'll have a quiet December.
Defense of the Week: Iowa Hawkeyes
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After a 15-6 victory at Wisconsin, Iowa has managed 20.9 points per game. That average is just 115th nationally.
Iowa, nevertheless, is 6-1.
The 25-point clause in offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz's contract is still a topic that must be monitored. However, it's fair to say those conversations often have a negative tone—I've certainly been a part of that—and also overshadow what a magnificent job Iowa's defense has done.
Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara (torn left ACL) is out for the season, so the unit simply must be elite. Saturday afternoon in Madison, the Hawkeyes were exactly that. Again.
Wisconsin threw for a horrendous 4.6 yards per attempt and averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. Iowa forced a turnover on downs in the red zone, recorded a safety and sealed the rivalry win with a pair of fourth-quarter takeaways.
The defense is now ceding a mere 14.9 points per game. That average is 10th nationally, and that's why Iowa is 6-1.
Best of the Rest: Week 7
7 of 7Catch of the Week: Keon Coleman, Florida State
In terms of impact, the Hail Mary catches from Houston and Colorado State are more meaningful. But, my goodness, Keon Coleman climbed the ladder for an absurd one-handed catch. He tallied nine receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in FSU's 41-3 rout of Syracuse.
Smackdown of the Week: Arizona Annihilates Wazzu
Considering how close Arizona came to upsetting Washington and USC, it wouldn't be right to say an upset over Washington State was surprising. But the manner in which the 'Cats won? That was shocking. Wazzu scored on the opening possession. Arizona then ripped off 44 straight points and outgained the 19th-ranked hosts 516-234.
Golf Clap of the Week: Ollie Gordon II Sparks an Upset
Oklahoma State endured a pretty ugly start to the campaign, not playing well in victories over Central Arkansas and Arizona State before South Alabama stomped and Iowa State clipped the Pokes. But in the last two weeks, Oklahoma State has picked up quality wins over Kansas State and then-No. 23 Kansas. Running back Ollie Gordon II propelled OSU in the latter, rushing for 168 yards, catching six passes for 116 yards and scoring twice in a 39-32 victory.
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