Winners and Losers from Week 13 of College Football
A dreary and rain-soaked Week 13 didn't stop college football from delivering the fireworks. While Saturday's slate looked light on paper, it was heavy with thrilling finishes from the Big Ten to the Ivy League.
From Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine breaking Melvin Gordon's one-week-old rushing record to another Florida State scare, a lot happened on Saturday. UCLA took full control of the Pac-12 South race, and Missouri came one step closer to clinching the SEC East.
With that, it's time to wrap it all up into a neat little bow.
Which teams and players came away as winners? Which ones didn't?
Winner: Oklahoma Running Back Samaje Perine
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Well, Melvin Gordon. It's been a good run.
The Wisconsin running back's single-game FBS rushing record of 408 yards lasted exactly one week. In Oklahoma's 44-7 win over Kansas, Sooners freshman running back Samaje Perine rushed for 427 yards and five touchdowns.
Yes, it's "just" Kansas, but the Jayhawks don't have the worst rushing defense in the Big 12, let alone the country (that might change after Saturday). Perine had touchdown runs 49, 33, 34, 66 and 27 yards.
It was a special moment to see Perine's teammates lift him into the air with one hand firmly on the game ball after breaking the record. To think, he wasn't a highly regarded running back coming into the season, either. Yet he leads the team with 1,428 yards. What's he going to do to celebrate?
"I'm probably going to watch some cartoons," Perine told Bob Przybylo of SoonersIllustrated.com. "I really like Tom and Jerry but if Scooby Doo is on, I'll watch that, too."
Loser: Ohio State
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Add Ohio State to the list of teams that haven't played their best game but managed to survive and live to fight another day.
The Buckeyes' 42-27 win over Indiana, which was playing with a backup quarterback, was anything but pretty. The final score didn't reflect how close the game was. Ohio State's three turnovers had a lot to do with that.
On a more positive note, however, Buckeyes running back Jalin Marshall bounced back with four total touchdowns against the Hoosiers after a tough week against Minnesota in which he had four fumbles.
The question is how does the selection committee view the win? Florida State has had to come back in the second half in several games this season. Alabama survived Arkansas. Mississippi State had to outlast Kentucky. TCU barely beat Kansas a week ago.
Bad days have happened to every playoff-caliber team. In most instances this year, the committee has dropped the affected team a spot even with a win. Does the same thing happen to Ohio State?
Either way, as long as the Buckeyes keep winning, they're in the conversation. But today made things a little more interesting. Coupled with the Virginia Tech loss to Wake Forest, it wasn't a good day for the Buckeyes.
Winner: Harvard-Yale
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ESPN's College GameDay picked the right site for a game this week. Well, not just any game. "The Game" between Harvard and Yale, as it's known.
The results didn't disappoint. The Crimson beat the Bulldogs 31-24 on a game-sealing interception deep in their own territory with only seconds remaining. With under one minute left, Harvard got the go-ahead touchdown on a 35-yard pass from quarterback Conner Hempel to receiver Andrew Fischer.
(Plus, the Crimson sport the nerdiest kicker possible.)
With the win, Harvard finishes the season undefeated and wins the Ivy League championship outright. These are the kinds of games that make rivalries like this so great: A pair of top-tier teams with everything on the line playing until the last second.
There were no playoff implications, no resume-building wins on the line. And it was refreshing.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Loser: Nebraska
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Nebraska hasn't been able to get over the four-loss hump with Bo Pelini as the head coach. The Cornhuskers are unfortunately finding different ways to keep that streak alive.
The 28-24 loss to Minnesota on Saturday was as heartbreaking as they come. Needing a touchdown to win and with only a minute and change remaining, Huskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. completed a pass to receiver De'Mornay Pierson-El inside the 10-yard line. Pierson-El, who caught the ball in traffic, appeared to wrestle away from defenders before the ball was yanked out by Gophers defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun.
Minnesota recovered and got one more first down to run out the clock. With last week's blowout loss to Wisconsin and now this, it's been a tough two weeks for Pelini and this Nebraska program. Pelini has won a lot of games during his time in Lincoln—at least nine each year since he arrived in 2008—but the Huskers have always come up a game or two short.
In the words of Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples, "Nebraska's program is not great. It is not terrible. It just is."
The questions is whether "what it is" is good enough.
Winner: The Big Ten Title Race
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For as much flak as the Big Ten gets, the West Division race has been set up nicely.
Wisconsin's 26-24 win over Iowa means that the Badgers' game next Saturday against Minnesota will be winner-take-all for the divisional title.
There is definitely no lack of storylines. Gophers coach Jerry Kill has done as good a job as any coach in the country in turning around a program. In four years, he's resurrected the Gophers program from doormat to divisional contender.
On the other sideline will be Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, who has surpassed the 2,000-yard rushing mark and is a legitimate Heisman candidate.
The winner will take on Ohio State in the Big Ten championship with both a major bowl bid on the line and a chance to spoil the Buckeyes' playoff hopes. You can't set it up much better than that.
Loser: Virginia Tech-Wake Forest
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Woof.
Here's everything you need to know about Wake Forest and Virginia Tech: The Demon Deacons beat the Hokies 6-3. In overtime. In fact, it was 0-0 at the end of regulation. And, in the second overtime, the Hokies tried a 53-yard field goal. And missed it.
What else is there to say? This is as bad as it gets. The box score doesn't always tell the whole story, but this one did, and the story was a slasher flick.
Now, Virginia Tech needs a win in the season finale against Virginia to be bowl eligible. There's definitely no guarantee of that happening.
Winner: Florida State
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What else is there to say about Florida State? The Seminoles are zombies, and just when you think they're dead, they come back and rip out your guts.
Well, not your guts. Boston College's guts in this case.
A go-ahead field goal with three seconds left gave Florida State a 20-17 win over Boston College, extending the Seminoles' record to 11-0. Sloppy conditions led to mistakes, and an awkward run-in between quarterback Jameis Winston and an official highlighted some referee issues.
Additionally, a solid rushing effort from the Eagles (240 yards on 51 carries) made life difficult for Florida State.
Still, when Florida State needed a four-minute offense to win the game, it got one.
"It's just what we are," head coach Jimbo Fisher said a week ago after a close win over Miami (via Dan Wolken, USA Today). "It's our personality."
Florida State finds a way to win every week, it seems. Love 'em or hate 'em, this team is good when it absolutely has to be. How long this lasts remains to be seen, but it's been 11 games so far. What's a few more?
Loser: Michigan Coach Brady Hoke
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It's been a little while since the Brady Hoke-hot seat conversation has been brought up. Probably because Hoke's time in Ann Arbor remains constantly in doubt and the Wolverines won two games in a row.
That winning streak, however, came to a halt in a 23-16 loss to Maryland. It's the same old story: Michigan can't muster much offense as quarterback Devin Gardner averaged just 4.4 yards per pass attempt with an interception.
If there was a bright side, Michigan was able to rush for 292 yards. Then again, the Terps have one of the worst rush defenses in the Big Ten.
The loss puts Michigan at 5-6 with losses to both Big Ten newcomers, Maryland and Rutgers. With a road game at Ohio State next week, the chances the Wolverines go bowling appear slim. Since Michigan's interim athletic director, Jim Hackett, can decide Hoke's future, according to Dan Murphy of ESPN.com, Hoke is definitely in a tough position.
Unfortunately, what else is new?
Winner: Arkansas
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From failing to win an SEC game for two years to shutting out two straight conference opponents, it's been quite a turnaround lately for Arkansas.
The Razorbacks are now 6-5 after demolishing Ole Mis 30-0. The win comes one week after Arkansas shut out LSU 17-0. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Arkansas is the first unranked team to shut out multiple ranked opponents in the same season since 1942 (North Carolina Pre-Flight).
The Hogs were close to getting that first SEC win all season but were never able to close the deal. Now, it's clear Bret Bielema's team has turned a corner and is not only winning, but dominating. Congratulations, Missouri, you get Arkansas next.
Does anyone want any part of this team right now? Methinks not.
Loser: Notre Dame
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What a disappointment this season has become for Notre Dame.
The Irish started 6-0 and supposedly had the "best loss" of any team by falling just short against Florida State. Since then, though, things have come undone.
Notre Dame has lost four of its last five games, the most recent of which came at home to Louisville, 31-28. A 32-yard field goal from Kyle Brindza with under a minute remaining would have tied the game, but a bad hold sent the ball wide to the right.
Turnovers have been an issue for Notre Dame this season, but the offense only lost the ball once—an Everett Golson interception. Rather, the defense gave up 30 points for the sixth straight game, the first time that's happened in Notre Dame football history.
Notre Dame finishes the season at USC, which has scored at least 30 points in seven games this season.
From a possible playoff contender to a team that could just barely make a bowl, things have gone south for Notre Dame in the past month.
Winner: Record-Breaking Wide Receivers
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There was a lot of focus on running backs Saturday, but a pair of wide receivers had record-breaking days as well.
Florida State receiver Rashad Greene broke the school's all-time receiving yards record with 3,613 yards. That surpasses former FSU receiver Ron Sellers, who had 3,598 career receiving yards from 1966-69. In Saturday's win over Boston College, Greene had eight catches for 106 yards—all while barely being able to lift his right arm.
Additionally, East Carolina receiver Justin Hardy broke former Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles' FBS career record with 350 receptions. Hardy had nine catches for 104 yards in a 34-6 win over Tulane.
Winner: "Jesus, Girls and Marcus Mariota"
12 of 16Oregon's 44-10 win over Colorado might have been the least eventful thing that happened on Saturday. A question for Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich, on the other hand, was an all-timer.
A student reporter asked Helfrich if star quarterback Marcus Mariota was coming back next season or going to the NFL. Mariota, according to B/R's Matt Miller, would be a top-five pick as of today. The general belief is that Mariota will indeed depart for the pros after the season.
When asked back by Helfrich what he thought Mariota would do, the reporter, who sounded like a son of famous race car driver Ricky Bobby, broke into a long-winded answer that included the phrase "Jesus, girls and Marcus Mariota."
You just have to watch to understand.
Winner: UCLA Quarterback Brett Hundley
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Speaking of record-breaking performances, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley had one of his own in a 38-20 win over cross-town rival USC.
In addition to being 3-0 against the Trojans, Hundley became the program's all-time leader in total offense. The previous record was held by former Bruins quarterback Cade McNown, who had 11,285 yards. Hundley finished with 328 total yards against USC.
The Bruins also control their destiny in the Pac-12 South with one regular-season game remaining against Stanford. Quietly, the Bruins have overcome two losses and, despite looking bad through the first few games of the season, are actually on the edge of the playoff conversation.
Granted, UCLA would have to win the Pac-12 and need all kinds of chaos to even be a serious contender, but this is a team to keep an eye on. Jim Mora's team appears to be playing its best football as the season is winding to a close.
Loser: USC
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USC fired former head coach Lane Kiffin early last season because he wasn't getting the results the program expected. Nearly one full season into the Steve Sarkisian era and the Trojans are still trying to break through in the Pac-12 South.
Not helping efforts was a 38-20 loss to UCLA, the third defeat in a row against the Bruins.
The Trojans were outgained (461-276) and outcoached. Now, the Pac-12 title and a chance to knock off Oregon is all but officially a memory. At 7-4, USC will finish the regular season against Notre Dame. At this point, it's basically a toss-up game.
The prospect of going 7-5 is not what USC had in mind when it hired Sarkisian. Blame depth if you must, but there's no denying the Trojans have the playmakers to win a lot of games. Also, three of USC's four losses have been by a touchdown or less, with the UCLA loss being the only one by double digits.
USC has come close several times to winning games it didn't. Saturday was the exception.
Winner: Oklahoma State Quarterback Mason Rudolph
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Injuries forced Oklahoma State freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph to burn his redshirt with just two games left in the season.
Now, Cowboys fans may be wondering why head coach Mike Gundy didn't burn that redshirt sooner.
Though Oklahoma State lost 49-28 to Baylor, Rudolph emerged as a newcomer with what looks to be a bright future. The freshman finished 13-of-25 passing for 281 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Oklahoma State's offense this year has been missing the vertical passing game. It wasn't there at all with J.W. Walsh, and it wasn't there effectively with Daxx Garman. Rudolph, however, showed his ability to drop dimes and put his receivers in positions to make plays in one-on-one coverage.
A costly interception late likely sealed the deal, but Rudolph gives the Pokes offense new life in the passing game.
Winner: Missouri
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Georgia fans hoping for Missouri to cough up a loss will have to wait one more week. Missouri, with its 29-21 win over Tennessee, is one game away from becoming back-to-back SEC East champs.
The Tigers contained Tennessee, which had scored at least 45 points in the past two games, to 21 points thanks to constant pressure on Vols quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
The Tigers will get Arkansas at home to end the season, which as anyone will say is no easy task. The Razorbacks have shut out two SEC opponents in the past two weeks and appeared to have finally found their groove under head coach Bret Bielema.
A loss to Arkansas would send Georgia, which has finished conference play, to the SEC championship game. The East has been wide open—some sight say mediocre at best—so there are no guarantees that Missouri makes it to Atlanta. That said, it would be a heck of an accomplishment to do it two years in a row.
Not bad for a team that lost at home to Indiana.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
