Winners and Losers from Week 9 of College Football

Boston College put a scare into Clemson, but freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei helped the top-ranked Tigers leave this Halloween weekend with an undefeated record intact.

That close call in the ACC highlighted an entertaining group of games on Saturday afternoon, which also featured one of college football's top stories in Week 9. Jim Harbaugh and his heavily favored Michigan team lost to rival Michigan State. Later, Texas threw a heck of a twist into the College Football Playoff picture.

During the evening slate, No. 3 Ohio State handled 18th-ranked Penn State while SEC teams navigated upsets.

From breakout games and record-setting performances to blown calls and bad losses, Week 9 was full of noteworthy topics.

Winner: Taulia Tagovailoa's Breakout Day

Taulia Tagovailoa has taken the first step in escaping the shadow of his brother, former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa.

After transferring from Alabama and being granted immediate eligibility, the younger Tagovailoa won the starting job at Maryland. Though he struggled in his debut last weekend, Tagovailoa put on an absolute show Friday to help the Terps edge Minnesota.

Tagovailoa threw for 394 yards and three touchdowns, guiding the Terps to a 45-44 overtime victory that featured a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback. He also scampered for 64 yards and two scores, including the winner in overtime.

Considering how poorly Maryland played at Northwestern, expectations for the rest of the season are uncertain. But there's no doubt Tagovailoa is about to receive a whole lot more attention.

Loser: Botched Call Spoils East Carolina's Upset

Tulsa entered as a 17-point favorite, but only a blown call saved the Golden Hurricane from a major upset against East Carolina.

As the clock ticked below two minutes in regulation, Tulsa trailed 30-27 with the ball. Running back T.K. Wilkerson surged up the middle for a healthy gain but fumbled, and East Carolina recovered. The Pirates would have a chance to seal the victory.

Until the referees incorrectly overturned the call.

"After reviewing the video of the play, the Conference has determined that the judgment of the replay official was incorrect," the AAC said in a statement. "The ball carrier did not regain possession of the ball, and the ruling on the field awarding the ball to East Carolina should not have been reversed."

The statement doesn't change the result, however. Tulsa scored a touchdown six plays later, escaping with a 34-30 win.

Winner: Clemson Backfield in Comeback Win

Because of a positive COVID-19 test, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was not available to play Saturday. In his absence, the Tigers turned to true freshman D.J. Uiagalelei and leaned heavily on senior running back Travis Etienne.

The first half, however, rattled some nerves.

Boston College returned Etienne's goal-line fumble for a score. The defense surrendered three touchdown drives, and a special teams blunder allowed one of those possessions to continue. Clemson entered the locker room trailing 28-13.

After halftime, though, the defense shut down BC and allowed a comeback to start. Uiagalelei's 30-yard touchdown run sparked the surge, and he later hit Amari Rodgers for a score. Etienne scored a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and then a late safety pushed Clemson's lead to the final 34-28 margin.

Uiagalelei, along with his touchdown run, completed 30 of 41 passes for 342 yards and two scores. Etienne rushed for 84 yards—setting the ACC career rushing yards mark in the process—while catching seven passes for 140 yards and totaling two touchdowns.

After the game, per Anna Hickey of 247Sports, head coach Dabo Swinney said Lawrence won't play at Notre Dame, so the Uiagalelei-Etienne combination will have the spotlight again next Saturday.

Loser: Michigan's Encore After Opening Win

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

When Minnesota lost Friday night, the result suggested we should be ready to reassess Michigan on Saturday. Perhaps the 49-24 victory last weekend in Minneapolis wasn't so impressive.

This, though? That was so, so bad.

Michigan struggled to finish drives; four possessions ended at the 49-yard line or closer. On defense, the Wolverines struggled to handle Michigan State's deep shots basically all afternoon. They surrendered five passes of 30-plus yards and committed a combined four holding and pass interference penalties.

And the result was a 27-24 loss to the rival Spartans that has completely erased the initial promise of Michigan's season.

Jim Harbaugh's tenure at Michigan is a perpetual story of one step forward and two steps back.

Winner: West Virginia's Smackdown of K-State

Although Kansas State arrived in Morgantown ranked 16th nationally, West Virginia opened the Big 12 clash as the favorite. And the Mountaineers sure backed it up.

Jarret Doege threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, hitting Bryce Ford-Wheaton for 104 of those yards. Leddie Brown rushed for 102 yards and a score, while Alex Sinkfield scampered for 85 yards. West Virginia took a 21-point lead during the opening half, and Dylan Tonkery provided a dagger with an 18-yard pick-six in the third quarter.

The 'Eers limited the Wildcats' star running back, Deuce Vaughn, to 22 yards on nine touches and held K-State to just 225 offensive yards.

"Without a doubt, that's the most complete game we've played in our two years here," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said, according to John Raby of the Associated Press.

West Virginia, which finished 5-7 last year, improved to 4-2 on Saturday.

Loser: LSU's Bad Season Getting Worse

Butch Dill/Associated Press

If you've watched LSU in 2020, you already understand this is not a contender. Had the Tigers simply lost a close game to a disappointing Auburn team, this result wouldn't even be mentioned.

But this was an absolute annihilation.

After a scoreless first quarter, Auburn obliterated LSU 48-11 the rest of the way. Quarterback Bo Nix collected season-high marks of 381 offensive yards and four total touchdowns, including a 91-yarder to Anthony Schwartz. Tank Bigsby rushed for 71 yards and two scores.

LSU allowed 500-plus yards in three of its 15 games last season; Auburn's 506 yards marked the third time in five 2020 games.

At this point, 2-3 LSU might not even finish with a winning record. The Tigers still have to play Alabama in two weeks and travel to Arkansas, Texas A&M and Florida.

Winner: Cincinnati's CFP Hopes as Oklahoma State Falls

Brody Schmidt/Associated Press

Early in the afternoon, seventh-ranked Cincinnati routed Memphis 49-10. Desmond Ridder totaled 312 yards and five touchdowns, and the Bearcats improved to 5-0, with every victory coming by at least 14 points. They've been dominant this season.

However, the victory didn't dramatically alter their chances at the College Football Playoff. Each of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC had an undefeated team, and the Power Five would absolutely send a representative over the AAC.

Texas abruptly shifted the narrative.

Four turnovers and a horrid special-teams penalty ruined the day for Oklahoma State, which fell to the Longhorns 41-34 in overtime. The Cowboys were the last unbeaten team in the Big 12.

Suddenly, the CFP door is wide open for Cincinnati.

Though the Pac-12 is slated to return next week, will any program end with a perfect record? And even if that happens, is a seven-game schedule (including the Pac-12 title game) enough of a sample to overcome a potential 11-0 Cincinnati team?

You cannot control destiny. Thanks to Texas, though, the Bearcats' path to the Playoff is increasingly in their hands.

Loser: Penn State's Title Dreams Die in 2nd Game

Barry Reeger/Associated Press

Despite the reasonable belief Penn State outplayed Indiana last week, the Nittany Lions still lost the game. That letdown eliminated their margin for error the rest of the way; only a perfect season would keep championship hopes alive.

Ohio State finished the job Saturday night, jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead and holding on for a 38-25 victory.

Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson put together a sensational game—and a contender for catch of the year—by hauling in eight passes for 144 yards and three scores. But the defense had no answers for the Buckeyes, who amassed 526 yards of offense.

Because of the 0-2 start and head-to-head loss against Ohio State, Penn State would need a miracle to catch the Buckeyes.

Winner: Top 10 SEC Teams at Night

John Raoux/Associated Press

No. 2 Alabama, No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 10 Florida all kicked off in the evening window, and all three handled their business.

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones continued his Heisman Trophy-caliber season, throwing for 291 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-0 victory. The Crimson Tide handed Mike Leach the first shutout of his head coaching career while holding Mississippi State to just 200 yards.

While the final score read 42-31 in favor of Texas A&M over Arkansas, the box score is a little deceiving. The Aggies held a 14-point halftime lead and a 42-17 advantage before Arkansas scored a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Florida overcame a pick-six to cruise past Missouri 41-17 thanks to—brace yourself—the defense. After giving up 495 yards per game in three contests, the Gators surrendered just 248 yards.

On a day several other ranked teams struggled, these Top 10 squads thrived.

Winner: Oklahoma's Offensive Explosion

Mark Rogers/Associated Press

Well, hello, Sooners. That looked familiar.

Spencer Rattler completed 21 of 30 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns, adding 24 yards on the ground. Oklahoma welcomed back running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who totaled exactly 100 yards and scored three touchdowns in his season debut.

The Sooners piled up a season-best 62 points, and their 559 yards were the most against an FBS opponent this season.

Best of all for Oklahoma, the defense had a decent performance too. The unit limited Texas Tech to just 14 first-half points while the offense exploded for 48, allowing for a comfortable final 30 minutes.

Oklahoma needs a little help to reach the Big 12 Championship Game, but a victory over Kansas next weekend and Oklahoma State on Nov. 21 should put the Sooners in a decent position.