Winners and Losers from Week 5 of College Football
Another college football Saturday has drawn to a close. If you can believe it, October is just around the corner. The playoff field is, ever so slowly, starting to take some form.
Just a little, though.
From a pair of come-from-behind victories in the SEC to a blowout in the Big House and a shootout involving Florida State, there was a lot going around the college football landscape. That's why we have Winners and Losers to get you caught up on all the highlights.
Which teams and players came out as winners in Week 5? Which ones didn't? The answers are in the following slides.
Winner: UCLA Bruins
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Oh, there you are, sexy preseason playoff contender UCLA. Fashionably late to the party, you are.
But better late than never, and the Bruins showed up in a big way against Arizona State Thursday night in a 62-27 blowout. Quarterback Brett Hundley had no problem bouncing back from an elbow injury with 355 yards passing and four touchdowns.
The big plays were there all night for UCLA on offense, defense and special teams. Bruins defensive back Ishmael Adams had two touchdowns of his own, one on a pick-six right before halftime and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
The Sun Devils were playing without injured quarterback Taylor Kelly, but the defensive concerns expressed during the preseason finally showed up at the wrong time. Poor tackling led to a number of touchdowns.
UCLA might be clicking at the right time with an interesting game against Utah in Week 6 and a potential Pac-12 championship preview with Oregon on Oct. 11.
For one night at least, Jim Mora's team looked like the playoff-caliber group it was expected to be before the season.
Loser: Penn State Nittany Lions
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Penn State was about as suspect as 4-0 teams come, and a 29-6 loss to Northwestern on Saturday proved the Nittany Lions weren't as good as the record on paper indicated.
It starts along the offensive line. Penn State hasn't done a good job of protecting quarterback Christian Hackenberg all season, giving up an average of 2.8 sacks per game. Hackenberg was sacked four times on Saturday, one of which led to a fumble.
Hackenberg didn't play great, either, throwing a pick-six in the fourth quarter that all but officially put the game out of reach.
Penn State's remaining schedule has some tough games against Ohio State and Michigan State, but there's nothing that stands out as a gimme for the Nittany Lions.
Winner: Georgia Running Back Todd Gurley
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Georgia running back Todd Gurley is a stud. Chances are, you knew that. But if anyone out there didn't, Saturday's 35-32 win over Tennessee was further validation.
Gurley finished the game with 28 carries for 208 yards, a career high, and a pair of touchdowns. (He also had this ridiculous hurdle.) Twelve of those carries came in the fourth quarter, and half of those came on the final possession when the Bulldogs needed to run out the clock.
On a crucial 4th-and-3, Gurley gained four hard-earned yards to ice the game for good.
There aren't many coaches in college football who catch more grief than Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. And, yes, sometimes he tries to get too cute and doesn't "run the dang ball" like he should. The Bulldogs have running backs for days; why not utilize them?
But Travis Haney of ESPN.com tweets an interesting counterpoint: If Gurley gets the ball 30 times a game, what are the odds his tank is on empty by season's end? There is a long-term strategy here.
That said, Gurley was a factor when the game was on the line, and the Heisman candidate delivered. Bobo and the offensive staff deserve at least that much credit.
Loser: SMU Mustangs
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The Mustangs haven't received a lot of attention in Winners and Losers over the past few weeks, but this level of terrible cannot go unnoticed anymore.
It's not just that SMU is 0-4 and working with an interim coach since the resignation of June Jones. It's that, for the second time this year, SMU has been shut out. It happened in Week 1 in a 45-0 loss to Baylor, and it happened again on Saturday in a 56-0 loss to TCU.
The Mustangs have just 12 points in four games—and only one touchdown on a Hail Mary against North Texas—while giving up an average 50.5 points a game. SMU came close to scoring at the end of the TCU game, but instead quarterback Matt Davis was sacked.
It was a fitting ending.
Jones did a great job getting the program back to bowl games on a regular basis, but the drop-off since has been unbearable to watch. The Mustangs are last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in points scored and points allowed, per cfbstats.com.
It's not hyperbole: SMU may very well be the worst team in major college football by a landslide.
Winner: North Carolina State Quarterback Jacoby Brissett
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It's tough to come out a winner in a losing effort, but that's the case with North Carolina State quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
The Florida transfer was seemingly one highlight reel after another in a 56-41 loss to Florida State. From his Johnny Manziel-esque touchdown pass in the first quarter during which he evaded two sacks, to a completed pass while being tackled, Brissett did it all.
His final numbers on the day: 32-of-48 for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
It wasn't enough, but clearly the Wolfpack have the guy they need to make the offense go.
The natural question is why Brissett never started at Florida. We'll never know for sure, but suffice to say Brissett has improved over the years to get a starting job with North Carolina State. And this team is glad he's here.
Loser: Arkansas
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Ouch, Hogs. This one is going to sting.
Arkansas did just about everything right for three quarters of play against Texas A&M. Then, it all started to come apart and the Aggies won 35-28 in overtime.
A solid, and unexpected, defensive effort from Bret Bielema's team took a turn for the worst when A&M quarterback Kenny Hill connected with receiver Edward Pope for an 86-yard touchdown. Then, after a missed Arkansas field goal, A&M took just two plays to span 73 yards and score a tying touchdown.
In overtime, A&M scored the go-ahead touchdown before stopping the Hogs on fourth down.
On one hand, this was a great effort by Arkansas, which is clearly much-improved from a season ago. This team is going to give other SEC opponents all kinds of problems and should win a few more games this year. However, as Dan Wolken of USA Today tweets, when a program has been losing as much as Arkansas has been, it can be tough to get over the hump.
Arkansas did a lot of things right for most of the game. This team has to learn how to finish. Week 5 was a painful reminder of that.
Winner: Clemson Quarterback Deshaun Watson
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If there was a silver lining to Clemson’s Week 4 loss to Florida State, it’s that a new quarterback emerged in the form of freshman Deshaun Watson.
Watson wasted no time showing Clemson’s coaches that he’s the right man for the job.
In his first college start on Saturday, a 50-35 win over North Carolina, Watson was an eye-opening 27-of-36 for 435 yards and six touchdowns, a school record, to just one interception.
Though Watson only had 28 yards rushing against the Tar Heels, he still gives Clemson a real dual-threat quarterback who it didn’t have with Cole Stoudt in the backfield. While former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd could run, he’s nothing like Watson in terms of a true rushing threat.
North Carolina’s defense is terrible, but this was an impressive showing for Watson. He's shown command of the offense and provides a spark.
Winner and Loser: Florida State Seminoles
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We're bending the rules a little bit here by naming Florida State a winner and a loser, but that's because the Seminoles aren't a black or white team.
On one hand, there are things that can't be ignored. Florida State survived an early 24-7 deficit to beat North Carolina State 56-41 on the road. That's no easy task and it takes a lot of leadership to do that.
The offense finally ran the ball with some effectiveness, too, as running back Karlos Williams had 126 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
Still, anyone who watches the Seminoles should know that something just isn't right with this team. The chemistry seems off. Quarterback Jameis Winston is still forcing some throws, and the offensive line is getting beat on a more regular basis than you'd think.
Even the FSU defensive line was getting pushed around early in the game.
Give Florida State credit for rallying. It earned the win and the resume is impressive with wins over Clemson and Oklahoma State. But is this the No. 1 team in the country? Not at all.
Loser: Michigan Coach Brady Hoke
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Will Michigan coach Brady Hoke actually orchestrate a turnaround? Will he even have time? Things don't look promising based on the fact that sophomore starting quarterback Shane Morris did nothing to spark the Wolverines offense in a 30-14 loss to Minnesota.
Morris was promoted over incumbent starter Devin Gardner, who has received his fair share of criticism. But if it wasn't obvious before, it is now: Michigan's offensive problems extend far beyond the quarterback position. It's a complete failure as a unit.
Michigan's offensive line couldn't protect Morris from taking several hits—one in particular was especially brutal and visibly shook Morris—and Gardner was back in the game by the fourth quarter.
According to Brett Edgerton of ESPN.com, this is the first time in 135 years of Michigan football that the Wolverines have had three losses before October. That's how bad it is in Ann Arbor.
"I think this team can still win the championship," said Hoke after the game (h/t Mark Snyder). "I really do."
What else is Hoke supposed to say? He has to have confidence that his team can turn things around. But the number of people echoing Hoke's sentiments are getting smaller.
Winner: Fans of Passing
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At the likely disgruntlement of B/R colleague Michael Felder, Saturday's game between Cal and Colorado was an offensive showcase.
The Golden Bears survived the Buffaloes in a 59-56, double-overtime win that featured 1,205 yards of offense and 16 touchdowns.
Fourteen of those touchdowns came through the air by way of quarterbacks Jared Goff of Cal and Sefo Liufau of Colorado. The numbers were identical for both passers: 449 yards passing, seven touchdowns and an interception. The only difference was that Liufau had 67 passing attempts to Goff’s 41.
If you like football that features plenty of high-powered passing attacks, this was your game. If you value defense in the slightest, well, it wasn’t.
Loser: Boise State Broncos
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When Boise State lost to Ole Miss in Week 1, it was another sign that the Broncos were no longer the giant-killers they once were during the Chris Petersen-Kellen Moore era.
But a 28-14 loss to Air Force in Week 5 shows that Boise is, well, just another program right now.
The game wasn't even as close as the final score indicated. The Broncos needed a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns just to keep things respectable and prevent a shutout.
A big reason—the only reason?—for Boise State's loss was losing the turnover battle 7-2. Quarterback Grant Hedrick tossed four interceptions and running back Jay Ajayi had two fumbles.
Despite being 3-1 heading into Saturday, the Broncos had been inconsistent and have had problems with ball security. If it's not fixed quickly, it could be a frustrating season for first-year coach Bryan Harsin.
It's odd to see Boise State as anything other than a great team, but the Broncos are not the cream of the Mountain West crop.
Winner: Texas A&M Aggies
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Survive and advance. Texas A&M isn’t the first team to do it this season, and it won’t be the last.
The Aggies were basically held in check by Arkansas for about 57 minutes of game time, but the offense scored when it needed to—and scored quickly.
When the game was on the line in overtime, A&M stopped Arkansas on an Alex Collins rush on 4th-and-1 for the 35-28 win. It was a nice turnaround for a defense that was gashed for 285 yards on the ground.
A&M is now 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in the SEC. (The Aggies are also 13-2 away from Kyle Field under head coach Kevin Sumlin, according to Paul Myerberg of USA Today.)
The win over South Carolina on the road to open the season remains impressive, and a neutral-site victory over the Hogs looks better now than it would have a few months ago.
The SEC West is a beast this year. All seven teams are capable of beating one another on any given weekend. Forget the playoff for a moment: Winning the division means getting a head start in divisional games like the one against Arkansas.
Loser: South Carolina Gamecocks
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In the immortal words of one Steve Spurrier, "Waylp."
South Carolina could have further established its lead in the SEC East divisional race with a win over Missouri. And for about 53 minutes, it looked like the Gamecocks were going to do just that.
Then, Missouri came to life and scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives, leaving Columbia, South Carolina, with a 21-20 upset.
It's a deflating loss for South Carolina, especially on defense. That side of the ball has been much-maligned over the early part of the season. To hold Missouri's offense to just seven points through three-and-a-half quarters is nothing short of a job well done. To lose it all at the end is heartbreaking.
"It was a struggle," Spurrier said (h/t Derek Phillips of WACH). "We couldn't execute. We played sloppy on offense. Told the team I was proud how we played defensively."
Now, the SEC East race is again wide open. Instead of having a two-game lead on Georgia, the Gamecocks have been shuffled into the middle of the divisional pack.
There's a lot of football left to be played, so no one is out of the SEC East race yet. (Well, except Vanderbilt.) But this was a prime opportunity for Spurrier's team that was squandered.
Winner: Washington Linebacker Shaq Thompson
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If the Heisman race is going to be so open this early in the year, why can't a defensive player have his name in the conversation?
And not just for the sake of having a defensive player in there to be different. We're talking a real Heisman candidate.
Washington has one in linebacker Shaq Thompson. In a 20-13 loss to Stanford, Thompson again was a terror on the field with a fumble recovery for a touchdown and another forced fumble.
In all, Thompson has four touchdowns on the year on defense and special teams. To put that into context, SMU has one touchdown on the season.
Plenty of defensive players go out and do their jobs each week—and do them well—without getting a lot of credit from national folks (ahem). But Thompson has been playing great all season. He deserves the recognition, and a little bit extra.
Winner: Nebraska Running Back Ameer Abdullah
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Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah is becoming a regular guest on Winners and Losers. As long as he keeps putting up video game-type numbers, he’s going to keep getting attention.
In a 45-14 win over Illinois, Abdullah topped 200 yards rushing (208 yards, three touchdowns) for the third time this season.
Granted, Illinois may not be the stiffest test, but it’s impossible to ignore what Abdullah has been doing for the Huskers offense.
The senior is the cornerstone when it comes to moving the ball, and he’s a big-play threat every time he takes a handoff or catches a pass.
It’s vogue to start listing every player who has a big game as a Heisman candidate—it’s been done a few times in this medium—but Abdullah has put up the stats to legitimately back that kind of talk.
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