Winners and Losers from Week 5 of the 2015 College Football Season
Say this for Week 5 of the 2015 college football season: Separation Saturday certainly lived up to its name, starting with Clemson's thrilling victory over Notre Dame in rain-soaked conditions.
The top three teams in the Big 12—Baylor, Oklahoma and TCU—recorded double-digit victories, with the Sooners grabbing a convincing home win against West Virginia. Not everything went to script in the SEC, however. Ole Miss lost a stunner to Florida in The Swamp, allowing Alabama to inch back into the SEC West title race after trouncing Georgia. In the Pac-12, UCLA found itself on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets of the season by losing to Arizona State.
Here's what we do know: This college football season is wide, wide open from a playoff stance.
Who were the winners and losers from Week 5? We break down all that was good, bad, ugly, gorgeous and more in the following slides.
Winner: Clemson's Defense
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Remember how Clemson had to replace all those starters on defense from a year ago? Remember how the loss of defensive end Vic Beasley to the NFL was a death knell? It turns out reports of Clemson’s defensive demise may have been exaggerated.
The Tigers and defensive coordinator Brent Venables proved as much in a thrilling 24-22 win over Notre Dame in Death Valley.
Clemson was extraordinary on all three levels. Defensive end Shaq Lawson gave Irish tackle Ronnie Stanley all kinds of fits. And Stanley entered the season as one of the projected top NFL draft picks for 2016 according to B/R’s Matt Miller.
Linebacker Ben Boulware was all over the field, making hits and delivering tackles. Cornerback Mackensie Alexander did a nice job on Irish wideout William Fuller, who was virtually nonexistent in the offense with just two catches on the night.
Notre Dame struggled to run the ball as well, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. For as much chatter as Clemson’s offense, and specifically quarterback Deshaun Watson, gets, its defense was brilliant.
Loser: Notre Dame's Offensive Miscues
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Horrible conditions figured to play some role in the Notre Dame-Clemson tilt, and they did. It just wasn't the only thing afflicting the Irish offense.
The rain hurt, to be sure. Notre Dame wide receivers were dropping passes all night. Even William Fuller, one of the best wide receivers in college football, had trouble hanging on to the ball. But that wasn't the only problem.
The Irish offensive line, supposedly one of the strengths of the team, had a hard time paving the way for running back C.J. Prosise. Quarterback DeShone Kizer was the team's leading rusher with 60 yards on 15 attempts. The best running play was when a passing play broke down and Kizer was forced to scramble for yards.
Irish head coach Brian Kelly's decision to run Kizer on the would-be tying two-point conversion at the end of the game was questionable, too. Clemson was prepared for the run and stopped Kizer well short of the goal line.
Kizer had his share of mistakes as well. There were pre-snap penalties for delay of game and timeouts needed to avoid more. All things considered, Kizer played well in his first road test as a starter, but for one reason or another, the Irish were always a click or two off the whole night.
Winner: Oklahoma Linebacker Eric Striker
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Oklahoma's 44-24 win over West Virginia was odd in a number of ways. The Sooners jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead, held off a third-quarter rally by the Mountaineers and closed things out in the fourth quarter. Both teams were penalized heavily (23 flags combined) and terrible on third downs (10-of-31 combined).
The game-changer, though, was Sooners linebacker Eric Striker. According to OU's final stats, Striker had 13 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble, which resulted in a touchdown. He was nothing short of spectacular.
How Striker might fit into the NFL remains to be seen. An NFL scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com that Striker may have to fill a Kam Chancellor-type role because of his small stature (6'0", 222 lbs). However it works out for him, he's been a fun player to watch at Oklahoma. On offense or defense, he had arguably the best day of anyone in the Big 12.
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Loser: Texas
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Leading into Saturday's game against Texas, TCU head coach Gary Patterson was asked about the challenges the Longhorns offense presented. Patterson's response? "We've beaten better with less," he said, per the Longhorn Network.
He was right.
TCU's 50-7 shellacking of Texas was over before the end of the first quarter. That was thanks in large part to several Longhorns miscues that put the team behind right away. An early fumble by receiver Daje Johnson led to a Horned Frogs touchdown. A high snap on a punt instantly resulted in a safety to give TCU a 9-0 lead. Then, the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds.
Texas couldn't afford to be mistake-prone against teams like Oklahoma State and Cal, let alone an opponent like TCU. The Frogs took advantage of Texas' miscues with a 30-0 lead after the first quarter.
Texas is still in a low point as a program. For every step forward it takes against Cal or Oklahoma State, it takes another 50 steps back against a top-tier team like TCU. And, to make matters worse, TCU scheduled Texas...as the homecoming opponent.
"We've got to learn how to compete. We don't know how to compete. It's about pride," head coach Charlie Strong said, per Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News.
It's too early to be calling for Strong's job. Yes, we're looking at you, Texas Rangers Twitter feed. The problems afflicting the Longhorns have been years in the making—long before Strong accepted the position prior to the 2014 season. When you're getting outclassed by in-state rival programs time and time again, it's a situation bigger than one coach.
Maybe Strong can get things turned around. Maybe he can't. We won't find out in 2015. The only thing the Longhorns can do is keep pushing ahead. Maybe then, they'll improve.
Winner: Northwestern's Defense
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We can officially start talking about Northwestern as a legitimate Big Ten West contender—if that hasn't been a discussion point already, that is.
A 27-0 win over Minnesota was the second shutout by Northwestern this season. The first came in Week 2 against Eastern Illinois (41-0)...so, no, the Wildcats haven't shut out a high-powered offense just yet. Still, Northwestern had just two shutouts in the previous 18 seasons, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The important thing is Northwestern is winning with defense, and that might just be enough to claim the West division. On that note, Pat Fitzgerald's team faces Iowa in two weeks at home in the West division game of the year that no one saw coming.
The Hawkeyes are 5-0 after beating Wisconsin, 10-6, and like Northwestern, they don't have to face either Ohio State or Michigan State. (Northwestern does, however, have a tough game at Michigan in Week 6.)
What are the odds Iowa or Northwestern finishes the regular season undefeated? Both teams are better now than most thought at the beginning of the season, that's for sure.
Loser: West Virginia Quarterback Skyler Howard
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West Virginia entered Week 5 as a possible Big 12 dark horse, but we learned the Mountaineers aren't quite to that level yet. The defense, statistically one of the best in the country coming into the game against Oklahoma, stood its ground after getting off to a rocky start. That side of the ball still looks like it will carry this team throughout the season, despite the 44-24 loss.
The Mountaineers offense, though, suffered some setbacks. Quarterback Skyler Howard took seven sacks for a loss of 56 yards. He also threw three picks and lost a fumble. His pocket awareness, decision-making and accuracy can all still use work.
This isn't intended to pin everything on Howard. There's only so much a quarterback can do when Eric Striker is running free in the backfield. But we also saw Howard come down to earth a bit (17-of-32, 173 yards passing) after a spectacular September.
His play has to improve. The month of October is especially unkind to WVU schedule-wise. For it to go even 2-2 during the stretch that includes Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech would be considered a success.
Winner: This Unreal Touchdown Catch
7 of 21As the Head Ball Coach himself, Steve Spurrier, would likely opine: Welp.
You see, this is what you call getting lucky. And sometimes it's OK to be lucky because it gets touchdowns. Also, let's give it up for Gamecocks running back Shon Carson, who was Johnny on the spot on this catch that helped tie South Carolina's contest with Missouri at 10-10 in the second quarter Saturday.
If there was ever a "no no no no no...yes!" touchdown, this was it. South Carolina quarterback Lorenzo Nunez had no business throwing that pass, but it'll go down on the stat sheet as a touchdown. Missouri still won 24-10, but this was the best highlight of the day by far.
Loser: Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer
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If you want to talk complicated coaching situations, look no further than Virginia Tech. Coaches like Mike London (Virginia) and Al Golden (Miami, Florida) are making the hot-seat conversation easy on their respective fanbases.
But Frank Beamer? It's a tougher situation, one not talked about nearly as much. Beamer is synonymous with the Hokies and at one point had them at the pinnacle of college football. The unfortunate matter, however, is Virginia Tech is lagging on the field. The Hokies aren't getting better, and after a 17-13 loss to Pitt, they have fallen to 2-3.
Per USA Today's Paul Myerberg, this is Tech's worst start since 1992.
Mediocrity has been the norm in Blacksburg lately. Virginia Tech hasn't won more than eight games since 2011 and doesn't appear to be on its way to breaking that streak. Does Beamer, who is nearing 69 years old, have one last push in the tank? Or should Virginia Tech think more about thanking Beamer for his years of service before moving in a different direction?
It's a delicate matter, one that has been hanging over the program. Barring a swift turnaround, the cloud won't go away anytime soon.
Winner: TCU's Offense
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Let's go two-fold on the TCU love. Yes, the Horned Frogs beat up on a miserable Texas defense in a 50-7 rout, but two performances stood out.
First, quarterback Trevone Boykin set a new program record with his 72nd touchdown pass, this one to KaVontae Turpin (more on him in a moment). Andy Dalton, who tweeted "Records are meant to be broken. Happy for my guy Deuce," previously held the mark. Boykin finished with 332 yards and five touchdown passes on the day.
As for Turpin, he's emerging as a perfect weapon opposite Josh Doctson. The speedster had six catches for a team-best 138 yards and four touchdowns.
The Frogs defense may have been hit hard by attrition and remains a question mark against more potent offenses, but there's no doubting this offense can get into, and win, shootouts.
Loser: Michigan State
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As the No. 2 team in college football as voted on by the Associated Press and coaches polls, you'd think Michigan State could take care of opponents like Central Michigan and Purdue. And, to be fair to the Spartans, they're 2-0 in those games and 5-0 on the season.
But Michigan State has made things more interesting lately than it's needed to. A 24-21 win over the Boilermakers on Saturday capped off a second half in which the Spartans were outscored 21-3. It was the opposite result of the Week 4 win over Central Michigan, in which Michigan State needed 13 fourth-quarter points to come away with the 30-10 victory.
As Dan Wolken of USA Today tweets, when do Michigan State's closer-than-expected wins affect how the pollsters view this team? And at what point does it catch up to Michigan State on the field? Or does it at all? Can the Spartans get things turned around?
Injuries have been tough, but Michigan State hasn't looked like the No. 2 team lately.
Winner: Baylor
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Baylor hasn't been a staple in Winners and Losers this year because opponents haven't tested it. It's almost a compliment that Baylor can put up 70 points against an outmatched opponent and have it be so commonplace it's no longer newsworthy.
Following a 63-35 win over Texas Tech in Arlington, however, it's only right to recognize Art Briles' Bears. Quarterback Seth Russell had 361 yards of offense and six touchdowns (two rushing, four passing). Running back Shock Linwood ran for 221 yards and receiver Corey Coleman continues to pace his incredible season with 110 receiving yards and three scores.
Granted, Texas Tech's defense is still bad. This was known last week in a 55-52 loss to TCU. However, the Red Raiders had more than just a puncher's chance against the Frogs. In fact, they were one miraculous ending away from pulling the upset.
But there was no upset in Arlington. Outside of the first quarter when both offenses traded touchdowns, this one was never in doubt. For the first time this year, Baylor has a win over someone worthy of consideration, as Tech's on its way to a nice turnaround after going 4-8 in 2014.
Winner: Ohio State Running Back Ezekiel Elliott
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Through five weeks, it's tough to pin down exactly what ails Ohio State's offense because there are so many factors. But there are two obvious truths. First, the Buckeyes miss former offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who's now the head coach at Houston. They simply haven't been the same without him. There's no identity and play-calling—namely their running of option and zone-read plays with a 250-pound quarterback—has been unfitting.
Secondly, running back Ezekiel Elliott is the best thing this Buckeyes offense has—by a long shot. In a 34-27 nail-biter of a win over Indiana, Elliott had 274 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns. More specifically, Elliott's three touchdowns added up to 195 of those yards.
Sometimes, though, it feels like Elliott is almost a last-resort option for Ohio State's offense. That falls into the myriad ailments for this team.
Quarterback Cardale Jones is off. He's making inaccurate throws and some bad decisions with the ball (holding it and throwing). The offensive line, which was supposed to be a strength of the team, hasn't lived up to expectations. Receivers are dropping passes.
Ohio State has a lot to fix if it's to remain the No. 1 team in college football, but Elliott was the game-changer Saturday.
Loser: The Wheels on the Ramblin' Wreck Hype Train
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It's official: Georgia Tech is in panic mode.
After losing their last two games, against Notre Dame and Duke, the Yellow Jackets looked like they had turned things around against North Carolina. Tech jumped out to a 21-0 lead with under five minutes remaining in the first half.
That's when things went south.
Georgia Tech allowed two quick Tar Heel touchdowns to cling to a 21-14 halftime lead. Paul Johnson's team was then outscored 24-10 in the second half on its way to a 38-31 loss. Tech is now 2-3 and still winless in ACC play (0-2). The schedule was always going to be tough, but Georgia Tech looks nothing like the ACC title contender it was pegged to be in the preseason.
In other words, Ramblin' Wreck is flying down a hill toward the edge of a cliff and the brake lines have been cut. There's still time to barrel roll out of the front seat, but you're going to take some bumps and bruises for being in there in the first place.
Winner: Georgia Running Back Nick Chubb
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Georgia's first regular-season game against Alabama since 2008 didn't go any better than the so-called "blackout game" for the Bulldogs. The Tide handled everything Georgia had and came away with a 38-10 victory. Once again, Georgia appears far enough away from the top of college football to wonder when this program will reach the next level.
The silver lining of the loss, however, was running back Nick Chubb. With 146 yards, Chubb had his 13th consecutive 100-yard game. That ties former Heisman winner and Bulldogs great Herschel Walker for a school record, according to Fox Sports.
The Bulldogs' next game will be at Tennessee. For what it's worth, the Volunteers had the 10th-ranked rush defense in the SEC in yards per run allowed (4.08) heading into the weekend.
Loser: Georgia Quarterbacks
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It's not often Winners and Losers focuses on the same team in both categories, but Georgia certainly, um, deserves it. If you want to put it that way.
Whereas Nick Chubb was excellent in defeat, the Bulldogs' quarterbacks were anything but. Greyson Lambert went 10-of-24 with an interception and averaged under four yards per pass attempt (3.58). Then, on his first attempt in the second half, replacement Brice Ramsey had his pass picked off for a 50-yard touchdown return by Tide defensive back Eddie Jackson.
Once again, the quarterback situation will be re-evaluated this week, per Georgia head coach Mark Richt, as noted by Fox Sports. Who starts against Tennessee? It's anyone's guess. The Bulldogs offense is a run-first unit, without a doubt, but there has to be some threat of the pass to create balance. There isn't right now.
Winner: Kansas State Quarterback Kody Cook
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Theoretically, the title of this slide could have been "Kansas State wide receiver Kody Cook." After all, Cook was the Wildcats' leading wide receiver heading into Week 5 (eight receptions, 148 yards, two touchdowns). Against Oklahoma State, though, Cook found himself at quarterback.
To put that position change into perspective, Cook wasn't even on the quarterback depth chart, as noted by David Scott Fritchen.
What happened to the other quarterbacks, you ask? Have you ever seen This Is Spinal Tap? K-State quarterbacks...Spinal Tap drummers...same thing.
Anyway, Cook tallied 209 yards of offense and three touchdowns (one rushing, two passing) in a 36-34 loss to the Pokes. The Wildcats may have come up short (thanks in part to some blown officiating) but the fact they were even in a position to win at all is amazing and just another credit to head coach Bill Snyder.
K-State's offense was expected to be a liability this year with so many key players gone from 2014. So far, it's been anything but, despite the injuries at quarterback.
Loser: Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze
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Ole Miss' time near the top of college football was short-lived. Just a couple of weeks after toppling Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the Rebels went to Florida to take on Jim McElwain's upstart Gators. This time, however, Ole Miss left with a loss. And an embarrassing one, too. The Gators got off to a hot start and never looked back in a 38-10 win.
On a big-picture scale, the loss allows Alabama to inch closer to the top of the SEC West title race. On a smaller scale, it was a huge step back for the Rebels.
Scoring opportunities were few and far between, but when Ole Miss did have them, it certainly didn't utilize them in the best way possible. Down 25-0 in the third quarter, the Rebels were unable to pound the ball into the end zone. However, instead of attempting a fourth-down play, head coach Hugh Freeze opted to kick a field goal.
Though the kick was good, it didn't really put Ole Miss in a better position to make a comeback, as it still would have needed three touchdowns plus a two-point conversion to tie.
Winner: Florida's SEC East Chances
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So, about Florida being an SEC East contender. Suddenly, it doesn't look so absurd. In fact, it looks quite plausible.
The Gators manhandled Ole Miss from start to finish Saturday night, and they didn't just do it with defense, either. Florida's offense was superb. The offensive line, short-handed and marred by injuries, held its own against Ole Miss' stout defensive line. Quarterback Will Grier, battling the flu, had a clean pocket from which to throw and tossed 271 yards and four touchdowns.
Florida has been a pleasant surprise this season, but raise your hand if you saw it housing Ole Miss. Also, while we're on it, what are the next round of lottery numbers?
The win, coupled with Georgia's devastating loss to Alabama and Tennessee's loss to Arkansas, should pave the way for Florida to become the SEC East favorites. There's still a long way to go in the season, but McElwain has this program off to a better start than anyone could have expected.
Loser: Tennessee's Streak of Misery
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Tennessee was a sexy SEC East pick entering 2015. Following their third loss in four games, however, the Volunteers might just be hoping for bowl eligibility at this point.
A 24-20 loss to Arkansas is just the latest setback for a program that had such high hopes. And, for the third time this season, Tennessee has blown at least a 13-point lead and lost. To put that into perspective, teams with a 13-point lead had a 154-3 record heading in Week 5, per Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com.
Blowing leads? That's a Tennessee problem. As is second-half offense, which was nonexistent against the Razorbacks.
The question asked following the Oklahoma loss in September revolved around Tennessee's turning the corner as a program. In short, when would the Vols take the next step forward? That's not even a concern anymore, though. For now, Tennessee is moving backward.
Winner: Texas A&M Defensive End Myles Garrett
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Warning: This video isn't normal. This isn't something regular humans do. Then again, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett isn't a regular human being. He's something more. What, we're not sure, and maybe the NCAA needs to look into it on a deeper level.
In the meantime, sit back and enjoy a 262-pound defensive end chasing down Mississippi State's Aeris Lavontae Williams. The option is supposed to take away the defensive end by forcing him to choose. Garrett chose Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott and still ran down Williams to force the fumble.
A&M went on to win 30-17.
Loser: UCLA
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And the Pac-12 South favorite in the month of October is...Utah?
The Utes would have to be the favorite now after UCLA's 38-23 loss to Arizona State. The Bruins aren't close to being eliminated from the College Football Playoff discussion, but those aspirations did suffer a setback in one of the biggest upsets of the season so far.
UCLA's defense, hurt by numerous injuries, was gashed by Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici. The senior signal-caller threw for 273 yards and rushed for another 37, bringing his total to 310 yards to go along with three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). And when the contest needed to be closed out, Kalen Ballage rushed 23 yards for the game-sealing score.
Bruins freshman quarterback Josh Rosen continues to show abilities beyond his years with ball placement and arm strength, but he also sandwiches those plays in with rookie mistakes.
It's a nice win for the Sun Devils, who had been blown out by Texas A&M and USC. Todd Graham's team might be able to turn this thing around after all. UCLA, on the other hand, is stuck searching for a way to get back on track.
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