Winners and Losers from Week 9 of the 2015 College Football Season
And here we thought Week 9 of the college football season was shaping up to be boring. It's Halloween night. How could anyone have been so naive?
In a matter of minutes, Minnesota came up just short against Michigan and Miami pulled off a kickoff-return miracle. Then, late at night Stanford saw its playoff hopes hang on by a matter of feet against Washington State.
This sport never ceases to disappoint.
The rest of the college football landscape was eventful as well. The nightmare continues for Nebraska after losing to Purdue on the road. In the SEC, Georgia's offense looked lifeless against Florida. From Kyler Murray's big day for Texas A&M to Gunner Kiel's perfect performance for Cincinnati, it's time to look back at all that happened in college football this week.
Who were the winners and losers from Week 9? We break down all that was good, bad, ugly, gorgeous and more in the following slides.
Winner: Dana Holgorsen High-Fiving Trevone Boykin
1 of 17Shut it down. This is the funniest moment from Week 9, and it's not even close.
As TCU was pulling away from West Virginia in what would eventually be a 40-10 win for the Horned Frogs, quarterback Trevone Boykin reminded everyone why he's one of college football's best players. On a scramble, Boykin evaded not one, not two, but four tackles before running out of bounds. There he met Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen, who gave him a high five.
Look at Holgorsen. He's not even mad. How can he be? Real recognize real, you know?
When asked about the high five after the game, Holgorsen said, "I didn't know what the hell else to do. I could've started yelling at my guys, I guess." (via Allan Taylor, West Virginia MetroNews)
Look, LSU running back Leonard Fournette is averaging 193 yards per game, but he hasn't gotten a fist bump from Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. That's all we're saying.
Loser: Minnesota's Late-Game Strategy
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Is there any team in college football that feels worse right now than Minnesota? (Maybe Duke, but we'll get to the Blue Devils in a bit.) The Gophers experienced one of the most heartbreaking, and confusing, losses you'll see this year.
First, some background information. Earlier this week, Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill announced in a tearful press conference he was retiring due to health concerns. If you haven't seen Kill's presser and/or want to get in a good cry, you can watch it here.
With Kill's retirement being a rallying point for the Gophers, one would've expected the Michigan game to be a tight one. And, indeed, it came down to the final seconds. But what Minnesota did in those final seconds was utterly stunning, and not in a good way.
A Mitch Leidner pass to Drew Wolitarsky looked like a touchdown initially, but officials instead ruled the ball down at the 1-yard line. Down 29-26 with 19 seconds left and one timeout, the Gophers could have run one, maybe two more plays before having to attempt a field goal if need be.
Instead, the clock began rolling at 19 seconds and Minnesota, whether aware of that fact or not, began changing formations and ran an unsuccessful pass play. That left just two seconds on the clock. Rather than attempting a game-tying field goal, Minnesota opted to go for the win but was stuffed at the goal line.
It was a gut-wrenching loss for the Gophers, who have already had a tough week. But this was terrible late-game execution. It's too bad for a group of players that poured everything into this game and came up short.
Winner: Miami's Miraculous Kick Return
3 of 17Okay, so maybe the ending to Michigan State-Michigan could be upstaged after all.
Like for Minnesota, it's been a tough week for Miami football. This time last week, the Hurricanes were coming off a 58-0 loss to Clemson. A day later, the school fired head coach Al Golden.
Yet, despite not having starting quarterback Brad Kaaya, who did not play due to a concussion, the Hurricanes led Duke for much of the fourth quarter before giving up 14 unanswered points. The second Blue Devils touchdown came with just six seconds remaining, giving them the sure win.
Or maybe not.
Miami took the ensuing kickoff and lateraled it eight times before Candy Corn Elder took it for the game-winning touchdown. However, a flag was thrown for an apparent block in the back and the play was reviewed.
During the explanation of the review, though, the officials did not address the block in the back call or the flag, nor did the officials say any knees were down. You can judge for yourself if a knee was down here. For what it's worth, Fox Sports' officiating guru Mike Pereira told Bruce Feldman any "egregious error" can be reviewed and/or overturned.
Despite the controversy, the play stood as called, and Miami got an insane victory.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Loser: Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley
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Bo Pelini never won the big game as Nebraska's head coach and got blown out more times than Cornhuskers fans care to admit. But Pelini never lost to Purdue.
In his first year with the Huskers, head coach Mike Riley has. Granted, Nebraska has suffered terribly from attrition. De’Mornay Pierson-El's gruesome-looking leg injury, which you can view at your own risk, was the latest in a series of injuries.
Nebraska's theme this season has been losing heartbreaking games. But a 55-45 loss to the Boilermakers was the opposite of the close games Nebraska has been accustomed to. Once Purdue went up 7-3, the Boilermakers never trailed again. This is Purdue's first conference win since beating Illinois on Oct. 4, 2014.
Now the question being floated around is whether this will be Riley's only year with Nebraska. Sure, talk of firing a coach after nine games is premature, but national pundits like Dan Wolken of USA Today are at least asking that question.
Nebraska has to win its final three games—against Michigan State, Rutgers and Iowa—to become bowl-eligible (barring a shortage of bowl-eligible teams). With the way the Huskers played Saturday, even the Rutgers game isn't guaranteed.
Pelini didn't take Nebraska to the level the program wanted to be at, but he didn't leave it in poor shape, either. 2015 has been a disaster for Riley, and it could be a while before things improve.
Winner: Notre Dame's Playoff Hopes
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Here we are, in 2015, and Notre Dame's best win is against Temple on the road. And that's not a slight toward anyone in the least bit.
The times, they are something else.
Notre Dame has proved over and over again why it's one of the most resilient teams in college football. The Irish had to dig deep one more time against an inspired Owls team, coming away with a 24-20 victory. Will Fuller caught the go-ahead touchdown pass with just over two minutes remaining.
Temple has nothing to be sorry about. The Owls are as good as advertised and should be a Top 25 team when the polls are released Sunday. For that matter, Temple should have a spot in the College Football Playoff Top 25 on Tuesday.
Speaking of which, Notre Dame's playoff hopes are still very much alive despite the early-season loss to Clemson. A road game against Pitt and home games against Wake Forest and Boston College precede a season-ending matchup against Stanford.
In short, the Irish are still in decent shape if they win out.
Winner: Oregon
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It's a shame Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici had the game of his career, because it's going to be overshadowed by Oregon's answered prayers in a 61-55 triple-overtime win for the Ducks.
Where do you want to begin? Charles Nelson's 100-yard kickoff return in the third quarter? Vernon Adams Jr.'s desperation throw on fourth down in the final seconds of regulation, which Dwayne Stanford somehow caught? Bralon Addison's touchdown catch which may not have actually been a touchdown?
It was one of those kinds of nights where, despite Arizona State's best game, things went Oregon's way. Now the Ducks, after a terribly slow start, are 5-3. There's still work to do to salvage the season, however. Oregon's next three games are against Cal, Stanford and USC.
Loser: Georgia Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer
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Georgia opted to go with Faton Bauta as the starting quarterback for Saturday's game against Florida. However, it probably didn't matter who started at quarterback for the Bulldogs. The offense was stagnant in a 27-3 loss to Florida, scoring the lowest number of points vs. the Gators since 1984, as Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com noted. First-year offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has come under plenty of fire and deservedly so.
Bauta's strength, or so we've been led to believe by pundits—including 247Sports' Jake Rowe—is in running between the tackles. Yet, Georgia was more interested in using Bauta as a passer. The Bulldogs miss many things, star running back Nick Chubb being one. When you lose the player through which the offense runs, that complicates things.
But the Bulldogs have had one of the SEC's worst offenses in the month of October. There's no quarterback who can seemingly get the job done and no reliable receiving option besides Malcolm Mitchell.
You could say that gives Schottenheimer little to work with, but there's not so much as a consistent identity for the Bulldogs offense. As Bleacher Report SEC Lead Writer Barrett Sallee opined, the Schottenheimer-Georgia marriage "never made sense" from the start. Not much has happened that would change that opinion.
Winner: The Pac-12's Playoff Hopes
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The only thing that could have made Week 9 any weirder was if Washington State sent the Pac-12 into chaos by beating Stanford. And, well, playing in the rain in Pullman on Halloween night? Those are certainly the conditions for things to get weird.
And the Cougars nearly pulled the upset. However, kicker Erik Powell missed a 43-yard attempt wide right and Stanford survived with a 30-28 win.
It was the Cardinal's worst game since the Week 1 loss to Northwestern. Running back Christian McCaffrey, despite eclipsing 100 rushing yards, struggled to get going. There were also close or otherwise controversial rulings that favored Stanford, most notably a stripped fumble on McCaffrey that wasn't called after video replay.
Stanford didn't rely entirely on luck to win—freshman cornerback Quenton Meeks had two second-half interceptions—but it did get favorable calls. David Shaw's team will take it, though, and the Pac-12's playoff hopes remain alive.
Had Stanford lost to Washington State, the Cougars would have controlled their destiny in the North Division, but Utah would have been the only one-loss team in the Pac-12. Similar to the SEC and Ole Miss, that could have thrown the conference's playoff hopes for a loop.
Instead, Stanford moves on and Washington State is hurting.
Winner: Florida State Wide Receiver Travis Rudolph
9 of 17Florida State's wide receivers have been a source of frustration for much of the year. Sophomore Travis Rudolph did a lot to alleviate that frustration in a 45-21 win over Syracuse. Rudolph had five catches for 191 yards and three touchdowns.
But Rudolph's first touchdown was the one that'll be seen on every highlight reel. Rudolph caught a deep ball from Seminoles quarterback Sean Maguire and proceeded to clown about a third of Syracuse's defense on his way to the end zone.
Seminoles running back Jacques Patrick also had a huge day filling in for the injured Dalvin Cook with 24 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns. But Rudolph's first touchdown grab was too ridiculous not to give him the edge.
Loser: Calling Laquon Treadwell a 'Regular Receiver'
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You'd think by now Auburn players would know better than to downplay some of the best in college football. Earlier this year, defensive back Rudy Ford told reporters slowing LSU running back Leonard Fournette "shouldn't be difficult." All Fournette did then was bowl over Auburn's defense for 228 yards.
Leading into Saturday's game against Ole Miss, Auburn cornerback Jonathan Jones called Rebels wideout Laquon Treadwell "a regular receiver like everybody else." (h/t Jerry Hinnen, CBSSports.com.)
To be clear, there's nothing wrong with confidence. And, really, Jones isn't wrong in talking about how you prepare for players on a weekly basis. But Treadwell isn't a "regular receiver," either. He just isn't. He's one of the most physically gifted athletes at his position.
In a 27-19 win over Auburn, Treadwell had seven catches for 114 yards and a nifty score. He also completed a 21-yard pass on a trick play. There's nothing regular about that—except for the fact that it was Treadwell's fifth 100-yard receiving effort in the last six games.
Perhaps it was regular after all.
Winner: Kentucky Defensive Tackle Cory "Poop" Johnson
11 of 17Before going any further, yes, "Poop" is the nickname of Kentucky defensive tackle Cory Johnson. Which is fitting, because he ran the crap the out of a 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Tennessee.
Remember: Seventy-seven yards is a long, long way for a big ol' boy like Johnson. But look at the big man scoot. That's some breakaway speed right there.
The Vols won 52-21, but if we're being honest, Johnson is the real winner here.
Winner: Cincinnati Quarterback Gunner Kiel
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Look, we're not ones to point out a quarterback's stats all willy nilly-like simply because he has a big day. Quarterbacks put up big numbers all the time against lesser competition. Central Florida, still winless on the year, certainly qualifies as lesser competition.
But goodness, Cincinnati quarterback Gunner Kiel's stat line deserves to be in the American Museum of Natural History or something. In Cincy's 52-7 win over the Knights, Kiel was—wait for it—15-of-15 for 319 yards and five touchdowns.
That's right, he completed all of his passes. For 21.3 yards per attempt. And he threw a touchdown once every three pass attempts.
Come on now. No one's that good on the easiest level of Madden.
Winner: Texas A&M Quarterback Kyler Murray
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For a week, at least, it looks like Texas A&M has found an answer at quarterback, and his name is Kyler Murray.
The true freshman went 20-of-28 passing for 223 yards and led the team with 156 yards rushing to go along with two touchdowns in a 35-28 win over South Carolina. It was as good a debut as head coach Kevin Sumlin could have asked for, and it came at a perfect time. A&M was on a two-game slide, and the offense was completely out of sync.
Murray gives the Aggies an extra spark that season-opening starter Kyle Allen simply can't. Murray is frustrating, almost impossible, to tackle. His willingness to slide and evade hits shows his awareness for such a young player. He still has a ways to go in learning the entire offense, but A&M seems content running an offense that's more run-based.
And if it works, use it. The rest will come later.
Loser: Texas
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Just like that, Texas is back to its old ways. And by "old ways," we mean getting blown out on the road.
But at the hands of Iowa State? 24-0?
There have been some bad losses in Texas' Charlie Strong era. For that matter, there have been some bad losses for Texas in general over the past five years. This is among the worst, if not the worst, as David Ubben of Sports on Earth tweeted.
The Cyclones came into Week 9 with the 103rd-ranked scoring defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision, allowing almost 34 points a game. Texas scored zero.
The game plan of allowing quarterback Jerrod Heard to scramble for yardage was always simplistic and one-dimensional. Against Oklahoma and Kansas State, the Longhorns attempted just 28 passes total. But recently, defenses began keying in on the Longhorns' running attack and finding ways to slow it. What happened against Iowa State was a result of that.
"I’m not worried about this team," Strong said (via Sean Adams of ESPN radio). "We still have games to play."
Realistically, there isn't much Texas' offense can do to change over the final four games. The offense could be handed back over to Tyrone Swoopes, but the overall scheme of things is probably going to stay the same. That means Texas is going to live and die by what it does. And when it dies, it's a death that's most horrific and painful.
Winner: Lubbock's Big Plays
15 of 17
If you like points and big plays, Oklahoma State-Texas Tech was for you.
If you like defense—or anything resembling the art—then Oklahoma State-Texas Tech was like being forced to watch graphic images on television screens. (Sorry, we've gotten into the Halloween spirit a bit too much.)
In the 70-53 OSU win, seven touchdowns were scored on offense, defense and special teams of at least 40 yards. They were:
- Justin Stockton's 42-yard touchdown reception.
- Jakeem Grant's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
- Jalen McCleskey's 67-yard punt return for a touchdown.
- James Washington's 75-yard touchdown catch.
- James Washington's 73-yard touchdown catch.
- Ramon Richards' 59-yard pick-six.
Additionally, Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh had a 64-yard run that almost went for a score. Grant had a 90-yard reception that also came up just short of the end zone. If you want to talk about nightmares, here's betting both defensive coordinators will be sleeping with one eye open Saturday night.
Loser: Colorado
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Oh, Buffs. When will the misery end?
Despite once trailing 21-3, Colorado made a helluva comeback against UCLA, outscoring the Bruins 28-7 in the span of about 18 minutes. However, the Buffaloes couldn't hold on to a lead and ended up losing 35-31.
Additionally, Colorado ran a whopping 114 plays. The Buffs at one point ran 53 plays to just one play by UCLA in a span between the second and third quarters.
Recall that Colorado lost to UCLA in double overtime last year despite making a rally in regulation. The Buffaloes also lost in two overtimes to Cal that same season.
It's been a perpetually tough road for Buffs coach Mike MacIntyre as he tries to rebuild what was once a proud program. But the number of painful losses continues to pile up.
Winner(s): North Texas and New Mexico State
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We've said it before and we'll say it again: We're fans of all teams here at Winners and Losers. Even in the worst seasons, no one should have to go winless. There should be something these players, who practice and work harder than most of us will ever know, can be happy about.
So, congratulations, North Texas and New Mexico State. College football can officially cross you two off the winless list. The Mean Green got their first victory of the year, 30-23, over Texas-San Antonio. The Aggies needed overtime to defeat Idaho 55-48.
Now, only Central Florida and Kansas remain as the winless teams in major college football. Our idea: If both teams finish 0-12, put them in a postseason game together.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
