Winners and Losers from Week 7 of College Football
Nothing in Week 7 quite lived up to the insanity that was Week 6 in this college football season, but that doesn't mean there wasn't great football being played. From start to finish, it was one of the more entertaining Saturday's of the year so far.
From Mississippi State's statement win to Baylor's thrilling come-from-behind victory and another thriller with Arizona, there was a lot going on. The list of undefeated teams dwindled ever so slightly and top teams had statement wins.
Which teams and players were winners in Week 7? Which ones weren't? The answers are in the following slides.
Winner: Georgia Running Back Nick Chubb
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Georgia didn't have Todd Gurley against Missouri, but in the end, it hardly mattered.
Freshman Nick Chubb was the next man up and shouldered the load for the Bulldogs, carrying 38 times for 143 yards and a touchdown in a 34-0 win over Missouri. (It was the first shutout loss for the Tigers since 2002, per ESPN's Brett McMurphy.)
It was a dominant effort by everyone. The defense took the ball away five times, and quarterback Hutson Mason played perhaps his best and most efficient game of the year.
But you have to hand it to Chubb. As B/R colleague Barrett Sallee points out, Chubb had 42 total touches—and Missouri ran 43 plays.
When his team needed him—and did it ever, apparently—he delivered. The future is bright for him and the Bulldogs' rushing attack.
Beating the Tigers was a critical win for Georgia as it relates to the SEC East race. Since it's unclear how long Gurley will be suspended, Mason could be a bigger part of the offense. He showed he was up to the challenge.
Winner and Loser: Texas
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Where do you begin with Texas? The Longhorns' 31-26 loss to Oklahoma was many, many things, and not definitively good or bad.
On one hand, there's a case to be made that Texas could have won. The Sooners had 14 points off a pick-six and kickoff return for a touchdown. When the Longhorns shoot themselves in the foot, they certainly do it in spectacular fashion. Mistakes have been incredibly costly for them.
On the other hand, the Longhorns remain a frustrating team to watch. For four straight games, Texas has failed to score in the third quarter. The number of pre-snap penalties is worrisome, and a necessary two-point play late in the game didn't get called in time (reportedly because of headset issues).
You have to credit Strong's team for battling back and scoring 13 points in the final nine minutes to make it a game, but the mistakes and halftime adjustments in the second half are brutal.
Something has to be said for the Longhorns defense. Until a Trevor Knight pass to running back Samaje Perine in the final minutes of the game, the Sooners hadn't converted a third down (and were 1-of-11 on the day).
Texas' defense once again did enough to win. At some point, it has to get more help from the offense and special teams.
"It doesn't feel like a 2-4 team," said defensive end Cedric Reed (h/t Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News). "We're right where we want to be."
Winner: Kentucky
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Yes. Kentucky is a winner. In football.
It looked like the Wildcats were suffering from a South Carolina hangover, down 14-3 to Louisiana-Monroe at the end of the first quarter. Then, Kentucky reeled off 45 straight points to win 48-14.
Sure, beating 3-3 ULM isn't a major accomplishment on its own, but Kentucky is now 5-1. That's more wins than the program has had in the last two years combined. And, really, Kentucky could very well be 6-0 had it not been for an overtime loss to Florida.
Kentucky needs just one more win to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2010. There's not enough that can be said about the job Mark Stoops has done. The Wildcats are approaching a brutal stretch of the schedule with games against LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee and Louisville, so getting one win there is no easy task.
Still, it's possible given how well Kentucky has played.
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Loser: Georgia Tech
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The formula is well-established by now: Highlight an undefeated team only to watch it go down in flames the following Saturday.
Apologies, Georgia Tech. The jinxing power is strong and unforgiving.
The Yellow Jackets could have created more separation for themselves in the ACC Coastal race but instead fell to divisional foe Duke, 31-25. It wasn't even that close, really; the Blue Devils led 31-12 with about eight minutes remaining.
Now, the team leading the ACC Coastal is...Virginia (4-2, 2-0).
Loser: Notre Dame Quarterback Everett Golson
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Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson has become a perplexing player over the last few weeks.
Golson, despite missing the 2013 season, is a clearly better player than he was as a freshman in 2012. He's shown tremendous accuracy with his throws, and he can spin it with the best of them in the game.
At the same time, it's impossible to ignore the ball security issues he's been having over the past three games. As Nicole Auerbach of USA Today notes, Golson has had nine turnovers in the last three games.
Golson helped Notre Dame beat North Carolina in a 50-43 shootout, but the turnover problem has become worrisome.
Next up for the Irish is a road game at Florida State, easily the biggest game of the year for them. Golson has to get the ball security issues fixed in a hurry. The Seminoles may not be as forgiving as other opponents have been.
Winner: West Virginia Kicker Josh Lambert
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Forget quarterback Clint Trickett and wide receiver Kevin White. There's a case to be made that West Virginia kicker Josh Lambert is the MVP for the Mountaineers this season.
What that says about West Virginia is unclear, but the 'Eers are 4-2 after a 37-34 win over Texas Tech. Two of those wins—the other being 40-37 over Maryland—have come on Lambert's leg as time expired.
Saturday's game-winning kick was an impressive 55-yarder that would have been good from 60. And, wouldn't you know it, head coach Dana Holgorsen actually talked to Lambert. (Or so he says. The background on that joke can be found here.)
The irony of all this is that West Virginia's special teams have been, well, something else. Blocked punts, muffed returns and allowing returns for a touchdown have made the Mountaineers an interesting team, that's for sure.
In any case, West Virginia is one win closer to going back to a bowl game.
Loser: TCU
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Oh, Frogs. Not like this.
TCU had what would have been a statement win on the road at Baylor basically in its grasp. Up 58-37 with a little more than 11 minutes left in the game, TCU gave up 24 unanswered points to lose 61-58.
To be sure, this is still a much-improved TCU team from a year ago. Per ESPN, the Frogs' 58 points were the most ever scored against an AP Top Five team on the road.
As David Ubben of Fox Sports Southwest opines, the Frogs shouldn't drop out of the Top 10 for losing a tough game against a quality opponent on the road.
Still, this one is going to sting for TCU. No lead is really safe when playing Baylor, but the Bears are especially good on capitalizing on mistakes. It's hard to keep Baylor's offense down for four quarters, so any short-field-inducing penalty or turnover can seem even bigger.
Frogs fans may point to a brutal pass interference call against TCU on 3rd-and-10 to extend a Baylor drive, but this was not a game decided on one call.
TCU looks like a team that could get to double-digit wins this year. It would be an incredible turnaround if it happens. But this game is one that head coach Gary Patterson and his team would love to have back.
Winner: Mississippi State
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Will Mississippi State be the No. 1 team in the country come Sunday when The Associated Press and Amway coaches polls are released? The Bulldogs will have as good a case as anyone, that's for sure.
A 38-23 win over Auburn in rain-soaked conditions contributed to a lot of sloppy football. Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott threw a pair of interceptions, but the Bulldogs got their best win of the season by far.
And their best win as a program in a long, long time.
It became easy to dismiss Mississippi State's win over LSU—the first since 1999 and first in Tiger Stadium since 1991—after the Tigers lost to Auburn a couple of weeks later. It became less difficult to dismiss the win over Texas A&M, whose best win in turn was a Week 1 blowout over South Carolina.
Beating Auburn is an irrefutable statement, however.
Loser: UCLA's Playoff Hopes
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While we're not about to officially eliminate a two-loss team from playoff consideration, UCLA likely saw its playoff hopes go down the drain in a 42-30 loss to Oregon.
The Bruins made things a little interesting with 20 fourth-quarter points, but the game was never really in doubt. Oregon was leading by 32 early in the fourth quarter in what was a complete takedown.
UCLA has now dropped two games in a row and, with the exception of the win over Arizona State, hasn't looked like a playoff team all season. The loss to Utah hurts, but not nearly as much as getting blown out by Oregon.
The Ducks live to fight another day as far as their playoff hopes are concerned. UCLA? It's not looking good.
UCLA's remaining schedule is tough with games against Arizona, Washington, USC and Stanford. This may not be the last time the Bruins lose this year.
Winner: Baylor
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That's what you call determination.
It wasn't Baylor's finest 60 minutes of football, but in the end, the Bears rallied from 21 points down to secure their first statement win of the season over TCU.
Quarterback Bryce Petty had a career-high six touchdown passes, and kicker Chris Callahan, who was 1-of-6 heading into Saturday, made four field goals, including the game-winner.
Had Baylor lost, it would have had to beat Oklahoma in November and won the Big 12 for it to be in the playoff conversation. Beating the Frogs is a good enough win for the Bears to finally merit a Top Five ranking.
In a day filled with exciting football, Baylor-TCU may have been the best game. Both defenses have been exceptional throughout the season, but both offenses took over on Saturday.
Art Briles' team is probably just happy it came out on the winning side.
Loser: Arkansas
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The same question that can be asked about Tennessee in SEC play can be asked about Arkansas: If not now, when?
The Hogs are better, much better, than they were a year ago. More than anything, they have an identity as a power running team and have generally stuck by it with good results.
But the wins in conference simply haven’t shown up. Arkansas let one get away against Texas A&M, and it lost a heartbreaker to Alabama on Saturday, 14-13.
What stands out was Arkansas’ inability to run the ball, its bread and butter. The Hogs averaged a mere 2.3 yards per carry. The miscues are almost nauseatingly bad. The fumble that would have been a touchdown, the missed extra point—it all adds up.
The Razorbacks’ remaining conference schedule is brutal. Three of the next five games are against ranked opponents.
"I can't put into words how proud I am of our guys," head coach Bret Bielema said (h/t radio host Bo Mattingly). "I know it sounds like a broken record but it's coming."
Will Arkansas break the SEC losing streak that dates back to 2012? It seems like this team is so close, but it’s hard to know when it’ll happen. If it’ll happen.
Winner: Washington Linebacker Shaq Thompson
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Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson is no stranger to winners and losers. That’s because he’s making a case as the best defensive player in the country.
Maybe the best player in the country period.
Thompson returned a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown in a 31-7 win over Cal, securing his fifth—fifth!—touchdown of the season.
He’s also third on the team in tackles and has forced three fumbles in addition to an interception.
He’s been valuable to the Huskies all year long and deserves far more attention than what he’s getting. Or not getting, as the case may be.
Winner: Marcus Mariota's Heisman Hopes
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They’re not dead yet.
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has been excellent all year, even in the loss to Arizona. Against UCLA, Mariota accounted for 285 yards of offense and four total touchdowns, one of which came with the help of a fortuitous bounce on a fumble. It was that kind of day for the Ducks.
Mariota is also yet to throw an interception on the year in addition to his 23 total touchdowns. Those stats stand on their own merit, but they’re even more incredible when you consider the protection—or lack thereof—Mariota has had this season.
How good would the Ducks be without him? It’s hard to tell, but there’s no denying Mariota is one of the best players in the country.
Loser: Auburn
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The meat of the SEC West schedule is getting underway. That means teams are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
And while losing to Mississippi State doesn't knock Auburn out of the divisional race, let alone the playoff discussion, it does show how difficult this division is—and why each and every game is important.
There's little room for error, and Auburn got off to a slow start, falling behind 21-0 in the opening quarter thanks in part to a pair of turnovers. The Bulldogs, making a case to be No. 1 in the country, are too good to not make opponents pay for their mistakes.
No lead is really safe with Auburn, which is capable of scoring at a moment's notice. Still, the Tigers weren't able to come from behind this time. With Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama still on the schedule, the Tigers will have to get off to faster starts to avoid falling further behind in the West standings.
Winner: Michigan
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It's been tough over several weeks for Michigan, and that's putting it lightly. Embattled Wolverines coach Brady Hoke has been firmly on the hot seat and in danger of losing his job midseason. With the way Michigan has been playing, missing out on a bowl game this year was a serious possibility.
But Michigan got its first Big Ten win, 18-13 over Penn State, to move to 3-4 overall. It was about as ugly as the score would indicate, but Hoke and Co. will take it every time.
Michigan stuffed Penn State's offense to just 214 yards and didn't allow the Nittany Lions to score after halftime.
What this means for Michigan and Hoke going forward remains to be seen. It's still been a rough season, and this may not necessarily be the "turnaround" moment for this program.
Just for a night, however, the bleeding stopped. That's big for Michigan at the moment.
Winner: The "Landsharks" of Ole Miss
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"Landsharks" is, of course, code for Ole Miss’ relentless and frightening defense.
For the second week in a row, Texas A&M got a touchdown in garbage time to make the box score look a little more respectable. But anyone who watched Ole Miss’ 35-20 win over Texas A&M knows the Rebels defense is for real.
Yes, Texas A&M racked up yards through the air—quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 401 yards and a pair of touchdowns—but a lot of those numbers came after the game was decided. Ole Miss jumped out to a 21-0 lead and forced A&M to abandon any semblance of balance in its offense.
The Rebels also had two defensive touchdowns, an interception returned by defensive back Cody Prewitt and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
The best teams in college football are in Mississippi right now. It’s a fascinating time we live in, but the Rebels defense is no joke. They’re winning a lot of games with it.
Loser: Arizona
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#Pac12AfterDark is the perfect finish to the weekly action in college football. The wild ending between Arizona and USC was no different.
The Trojans came away with a much-needed 28-26 win over the Wildcats—and in dramatic fashion, no less.
USC controlled the line of scrimmage all night with a powerful running attack featuring Javorius "Buck" Allen (more on him later). Still, Arizona kept the score close and managed to pull within two with just over a minute remaining.
Arizona recovered a perfect onside kick and quickly got into field-goal range. Place kicker Casey Skowron's first attempt was good, but it was nullified by a USC timeout. Sure enough, the TO iced Skowron, who pushed the second attempt wide right.
Things looked bleak, then promising, then bleak again for Arizona, which has been a part of some wild finishes already this year.
Arizona, though no longer unbeaten, is still 5-1 and 2-1 in the Pac-12. The good news is that the 'Cats have four divisional opponents left, meaning there's plenty of time to reclaim the top spot in the Pac-12 South.
This was a gut-wrenching loss for Rich Rodriguez's team, though.
Winner: USC Running Back Buck Allen
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USC running back Buck Allen was rarely used by former coach Lane Kiffin. However, he emerged toward the end of last season and has been a force for the Trojans’ ground game ever since.
In the win over Arizona, Allen rushed 26 times for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns.
At 6’1” and 220 pounds, Allen is the prototypical downhill back. The Wildcats had absolutely no answer for him. Two long touchdown runs in the first half eventually yielded to more powerful, grind-it-out runs in the second half. At one point, it felt like Allen carried half of Arizona’s defense with him on a 32-yard run.
Quietly, Allen has been putting together a monster season. He’s reached the 100-yard mark in five of six games and is averaging over five yards a carry. When talking about the best running backs in the country, his name deserves a mention.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
