Studs and Duds from Week 8 in College Football
Week 8 of the college football season is now behind us, and some of the better teams in the country are beginning to separate themselves with the first release of the BCS standings.
Saturday produced its share of upsets and surprises. Some players stepped up to become studs while others disappointed and were duds.
Which performances stood out the most?
Here are the studs and duds of Week 8 of the college football season.
Stud: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
1 of 12There were some outstanding performances in Week 8, and then there was Jameis Winston.
The talented freshman quarterback aced his first true test as the Seminoles starting quarterback.
Winston was 22-of-34 for 444 yards and three touchdowns in a road win at No. 3 Clemson.
It was a step up in competition for FSU, and many wondered how Winston would fare in such a hostile environment.
A 51-14 victory propelled the Seminoles to No. 2 in the new BCS standings and Winston as a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
Dud: Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
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For as good as Winston was, Tajh Boyd was equally as bad.
Yes, praise should go to the FSU defense and Jeremy Pruitt, but Clemson came into the game as one of the better offensive units in the country, and Boyd looked lost the entire game.
He completed just 17-of-37 passes for 156 yards and two interceptions.
When he had time in the pocket, he looked skittish and overthrew several easy passes in the middle of the field.
Boyd is a great player and should bounce back, but on Saturday, he was a dud.
Stud: Missouri
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Last week, the Missouri Tigers suffered devastating news when they learned quarterback James Franklin would be out for the rest of the regular reason.
How did they respond in Week 8?
They defeated Florida 36-17 in a game where they had 500 yards of total yards offense against a team that was just allowing 235 yards per game entering the week.
This was behind new starter, Maty Mauk, who threw for 295 yards in his first career start.
Oh, and about that defense: They held the Gators to just 151 total yards for the entire game.
Mizzou now has a full two-game lead in the SEC East.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Dud: Louisville
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Louisville was supposed to be a national title contender playing a cupcake schedule in a really bad conference.
They can kiss that chance goodbye after last week's performance.
The Cardinals had a 28-7 lead against UCF before failing to secure the lead and eventually losing 38-35.
Good teams don't lose homecoming games after having a 21-point lead in the second half.
Louisville and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater can continue to pile up "Star Wars numbers," but no one is going to take them seriously again in 2013.
Stud: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
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Bortles, the 6'4", 230-pound junior signal-caller, is quietly having a good season for Central Florida.
That season continued with Friday's comeback win at No. 8 Louisville.
Bortles engineered a comeback for the ages against the Cardinals, passing for 250 yards and throwing the game-winning touchdown with just 23 seconds left.
The Knights were down 28-7 at one time in the third quarter.
With the win over Louisville, UCF has firmly placed themselves as the favorite in the AAC. They are 5-1 on the season, including a 2-0 record in conference play.
Dud: USC vs. Notre Dame
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USC vs. Notre Dame is generally one of the most exciting matchups in college football every season. Whether one team is struggling, or even both, there is just always something special about this rivalry.
In Week 8, the Irish survived the Trojans in South Bend. It was truly a snoozefest, especially after halftime.
The Fighting Irish went into halftime with a 14-10 lead and left with a 14-10 win.
Tommy Rees vs. Cody Kessler isn't a quarterback matchup that is going to get anyone excited.
Rees was knocked out of the game in the third quarter, and the game got even sloppier. Both teams combined for a whopping 168 yards of total offense in the entire second half.
In all seriousness, NBC owes an apology to anyone who spent their Saturday afternoon watching this contest.
Stud: Lamarcus Joyner, DB, Florida State
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Has any defensive back in college football this season had a night like FSU's Lamarcus Joyner did on Saturday?
On the first play from scrimmage, Joyner hit a Clemson tight end after a 9-yard reception, forcing a fumble that led to a Jameis Winston touchdown pass just three plays later.
Later in the first quarter, Joyner blitzed Tajh Boyd, forcing a fumble that defensive end Mario Edwards scooped up and took in for another touchdown.
If that wasn't enough, Joyner picked off Boyd at the FSU 7-yard line, keeping Clemson out of the end zone when it was still a close game.
Joyner did it on college football's biggest stage, too. For as good as Winston was on offense, Joyner was equally as important on defense for the 'Noles.
Dud: Dabo Swinney, Head Coach, Clemson
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Clemson was ranked No. 3 in the country heading into Saturday night's home contest against fifth-ranked Florida State. It was billed as the biggest game in ACC history.
Boy, did it disappoint.
The game was never close, and not only did Florida State look like the more talented team, which they are, they also appeared to be the more prepared team.
Dabo Swinney didn't have his team ready.
The stage was set for a monumental, season-defining win by the Tigers, and they couldn't deliver in the best of circumstances.
Swinney was often seen scratching his head (like in the photo above) and looking clueless.
He better get his guys ready for their five remaining games because next year will be much different for Clemson once Tajh Boyd departs.
Stud: Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
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Ohio State struggled for the most of the game on Saturday against Iowa before pulling away late with a 34-24 victory.
A big reason for the Buckeyes' second-half success was running back Carlos Hyde.
Hyde ran for 149 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. His fourth quarter touchdown run (see above) was one of the more exciting plays in all of college football this season and proved to be the difference in the game.
It's important to note that Iowa had not allowed a rushing touchdown all season before Saturday.
Dud: Washington
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Three weeks ago, the Pac-12 appeared to be a solid four-team race. Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Washington were all ranked in the Top 20.
Now, just three weeks later, the Huskies have lost three in a row and appear to be heading towards a disappointing finish.
Hopes were high for Washington this year.
Led by senior quarterback Keith Price, the Huskies featured one of the more talented rosters in the conference. They almost beat Stanford before getting blown out at home versus Oregon last week.
Those two losses were understandable. Saturday's 53-24 loss to Arizona State was embarrassing.
Outside of Clemson, this may be the most disappointing team performance of the week.
Stud: Ka'Deem Carey, RB, Arizona
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Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey led the nation in rushing in 2012.
On Saturday, he took a big step in returning to the top of the NCAA's rushing list with 236 yards on the ground in the Wildcats' 35-24 win over Utah.
In just five games this season, Carey has now rushed for 805 yards. The nation's leading rusher, Antonio Andrews of Western Kentucky, has 1,036 yards.
With six games to go and Rich Rodriguez calling plays, it wouldn't be a stretch to see Carey pass Andrews and lead the country in rushing yet again.
Carey is one of the more underrated players in America playing in the desert. It is a shame as Carey is truly a phenomenal talent.
Dud: Ranked SEC East Teams
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Entering play on Saturday, four teams in the SEC's Eastern Division were ranked: Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Only Mizzou won on Saturday, giving them a nice cushion in the SEC East.
Missouri defeated Florida, while the Gamecocks and Bulldogs both lost to unranked conference foes. All three teams now have multiple losses on the season.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
