College Football Scores 2015: Week 5 Results and Top Stars for Top 25 Teams
The Big Ten teams at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 came out on top again this week, but the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans both faced brutal scares.
In the early part of the day, it looked like the No. 2 Spartans would roll at home against Purdue, as they jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead. But instead of continuing to punish the lowly Boilermakers, they stumbled, struggled and stopped producing.
Purdue came storming back, and Michigan State needed a fourth-quarter field goal and a late stop by its defense to survive, 24-21.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The Spartans are going to have a hard time holding onto their lofty spot in the rankings, and the Buckeyes might also face that same difficulty.
While Ohio State had a much more difficult assignment against undefeated Indiana at Bloomington, few expected the Hoosiers to give the Buckeyes much trouble.
Yet that's just what happened, as Urban Meyer's team struggled to play with any cohesiveness in the first half. The Buckeyes got the message in the second half and picked up a 34-27 win behind the explosive running of Ezekiel Elliott.
Here are the scores, key stats and top stars for Top 25 teams as of 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
| Michigan State (2) | 24-21 | Purdue | RB Markell Jones, Purdue, 22-157-2 |
| TCU (4) | 50-7 | Texas | WR KaVontae Turpin, TCU, 6-138-4 |
| Oklahoma (15) | 44-24 | West Virginia (23) | QB Baker Mayfield, Okla., 14-of-25, 320, 3 TDs |
| Northwestern (16) | 27-0 | Minnesota | RB Justin Jackson, Northwestern, 20-120 |
| Iowa | 10-6 | Wisconsin (19) | RB Jordan Canzeri, Iowa, 26-125 |
| Michigan (22) | 28-0 | Maryland | QB Jake Rudock, Michigan, 16-of-32, 180 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida State (11) | 24-16 | Wake Forest | QB Everett Golson, Florida State, 20-of-31, 201 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama (13) | 38-10 | Georgia (10) | WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama, 5-120-1 |
| Baylor (5) | 63-35 | Texas Tech | RB Shock Linwood, Baylor, 21-221-2 |
| Ohio State (1) | 34-27 | Indiana | RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State, 23-274-3 |
Stars of the Week
WR KaVontae Turpin, TCU
There was a time when the matchup between TCU and Texas was almost always a rout in favor of the Longhorns. That's not the case any longer, and the Horned Frogs were more than happy to demonstrate that when the two teams got together in Fort Worth.
The competitive aspect of this game was over early, as TCU jumped out to a 30-0 lead after one quarter. Whenever TCU scores in an explosive manner, it can be expected that Heisman Trophy candidate Trevone Boykin will dominate the stat sheets.
"TCU's KaVontae Turpin has 5 receptions, 4 for TD. The 4 Rec TD is a Big 12 single-game record by a freshman.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 3, 2015"
Boykin did not disappoint in that area, as he threw for 332 yards and five touchdowns, but it was freshman receiver KaVontae Turpin who stole the show. Turpin caught six passes for 138 yards and four went for touchdowns, as his quickness was too much for the Longhorns to handle.
"Turpin hits the turbo for his third receiving #Touchdown of the day! @TCUFootball up 37-0 at the half. http://t.co/ecy6Jty8iH
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 3, 2015"
The 5'9", 165-pound Turpin darted all over the field, and his speed, route-running ability and good hands made him the dominant weapon on the field for TCU.
RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
The top-rated Buckeyes knew they were in for a battle against the Hoosiers, and Indiana pushed the No. 1 team in the nation hard for 60 minutes.
However, the Hoosiers had no answers for Ezekiel Elliott in the final 30 minutes. Elliott ran with speed and power as he broke two long touchdown runs and had 243 second-half rushing yards.
"Ezekiel Elliot should get a trip to New York in December, at the very least
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) October 3, 2015"
For the game, Elliott ran for 274 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries as the Buckeyes remained undefeated.
WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama
This time, Mark Richt was supposed to have his Georgia Bulldogs ready to win the big one.
However, a lot of fans were skeptical with Alabama coming to Athens. In the past, the Bulldogs have had problems executing against the SEC's elite teams.
This was another game that was finished early. While the Crimson Tide may have hurt their playoff chances with an early-season loss to Ole Miss, they were a dominant team against Georgia and rolled to a 38-10 victory.
The star was freshman receiver Calvin Ridley, who caught five passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Ridley was able to make big plays nearly every time he got his hands on a pass from quarterback Jake Coker. Ridley appears to be a future star for Nick Saban, and he certainly filled that role in this game.
"Amari who? Alabama WR Calvin Ridley in less than two quarters of work: 4 catches, 115 yards, 1 TD.
— Zac Ellis (@ZacEllis) October 3, 2015"
Running back Derrick Henry also played a key role for the Crimson Tide with 26 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Northwestern defense
There are a lot of surprise stories in the Big Ten this season, but one of the most unexpected developments has been the play of Northwestern.
The Wildcats moved to 5-0 after blanking Minnesota 27-0 in Evanston. Northwestern recorded it's second shutout of the season and was dominant throughout the game.
Northwestern held the visitors to 173 total yards and 11 first downs. Minnesota was unable to get anything done through the air, as quarterbacks Mitch Leidner and Demry Croft completed 15-of-32 passes for 99 yards and an interception.
Northwestern wasn't even threatened after the first quarter, and the Wildcats put the game away in the fourth quarter when linebacker Tyler Lancaster hit Leidner and forced a fumble that linebacker Anthony Walker picked up on the run and returned 13 yards for a touchdown.
"Northwestern's Steven Reese knows how to celebrate a shutout win. http://t.co/rXImrryTGY pic.twitter.com/CwmOgaymjM
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 3, 2015"
Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill was impressed with the Northwestern effort level. "They don't make mistakes, they do their job," Kill said after the game (h/t Associated Press). "They did their job today. They played harder than we did."
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
