Week 7 Summary
Week 7: What Just Happened?
10/20/15
Joe Broback
10 SECONDS
There is a lot you can do in 10 seconds, and a lot can happen in 10 seconds. College football was shown a prime example of what can happen in a short period of time. Michigan had the lead over Michigan State 23-21 with those precious 10 seconds left. In a blink of an eye, the Spartans had won. Michigan punter Blake O’Neill had muffed the low snap, tried to pick it up and punt it, but the ball went right into the hands Jalen Watts-Jackson who scampered into the endzone. Plays like this make college football exciting, but sometimes that gets lost in anguish and anger.
O’Neill was having a great game, but the only play he will be remembered for (which is completely unfair) is the muffed punt. He had an 80 yard punt that no one seems to remember and handled the ball cleanly on every other punt until the last snap. Now he’s getting death threats because he supposedly lost the game. What is wrong with people? One play does not determine the game, one person cannot lose the game, and there are other things that get pushed to the side because of people’s stupidity. Michigan was outgained 386-230 and the Spartans doubled the Wolverines first down total (20-10). Stats like these are what contributes to the whole game. If O’Neill had fumbled the snap in the first quarter, no one would be as angry with him.
Michigan’s athletic director has since made a statement to those people sending threats to make them think about their actions. Other Michigan players have taken responsibility for the game because they know one play doesn’t win or lose a game. O’Neill is a 21 year old in college, but is being treated like a criminal. If your life hangs in the balance over a 21 year old kid catching a punt and beating a rival, your priorities need to be adjusted. Keep in mind that Watts-Jackson, the hero on that play, may not play again this season due to an injured hip. Maybe also keep in mind the fan that had a heart attack at the game and was fighting for their lives on the way to the hospital. Some people don’t have any perspective in life, and they take their frustrations out on an easy target. Saturday’s thriller was one of the best games of the year, but it was immediately overshadowed by poor judgement.
There is a lot you can do in 10 seconds, and sending a threatening tweet or message is one. A lot happened in 10 seconds that changed college football, but one person should not be judged solely on what happened in a short period of time. 10 seconds changed the game, but shouldn’t change a life.
TRENDING UP
Down But Not Out----Rutgers has had its share of shortcomings this year already, but the Scarlet Knights had enough. Down 25 points late in the third quarter, Rutgers mounted a furious comeback to beat Indiana 55-52. With all of the negativity being produced from campus, the win was a pleasant surprise for the Scarlet Knights.
Tigers Stun Rebels----The game started out with the Rebels posting a 14 point lead, and the natural assumption was the game would get out of hand from there. Memphis proceeded to score 31 unanswered points on their way to a 37-24 stunner at home. The Rebels defense seemed helpless when DT Robert Nkemdiche went down with a concussion while playing offense. Tigers QB Paxton Lynch showed why NFL scouts are giving him a serious look, and the hype of playing a top 25 SEC team never appeared to bother Lynch or his team.
TRENDING DOWN
Michigan----The last play is the talk of the week, and may be for the rest of the year. That play is the most iconic play of college football this season. While the Wolverines now have two weeks to recover from an emotional and heartbreaking loss. Any momentum Michigan had coming into this game is completely gone, and they will need every minute of those two weeks to recover.
East Coast Snoozers----The last three weeks, east coast teams have done their best to put us to sleep. Duke’s week 5 win over Boston College (9-7), Wake Forest’s win over BC (3-0), and week 7’s struggle between Georgia and Missouri (9-7) have been hard to watch. Throw in Wisconsin and Iowa’s 10-6 game and you have a combined 51 points over 4 games. Baylor scored 62 points themselves this week alone. Hopefully it’s just good defense, but I’m doubting that’s the case.
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK
Christian McCaffery, Stanford (243 yards rushing, 4 TD)----In the ranked matchup that no one paid a lot of attention to, McCaffery ran all over a beat up UCLA defense. While his performance was overshadowed by a Francis Owusu acrobatic catch, McCaffery dominated the game. Stanford’s opening week loss to Northwestern keeps becoming more puzzling considering the way they are playing lately. The Cardinal looks like the runaway favorite to win the Pac 12 South.
Utah State Defense (8 forced turnovers)----Don’t blink because you read that correctly. Who were the Aggies playing? Boise State. Again, don’t blink because you read that correctly as well. Normally it’s the Broncos forcing an absurd amount of turnovers, but this week they were turning it over to the Aggies. Utah State built a 45-10 lead at halftime and wiped out Boise State’s chances of a New Year’s bowl.
Seth Russell, Baylor (380 yards passing, 5 TD; 160 yards rushing, 1 TD)----Is there a defense that can stop the Bears? If there is, I’m not sure if it’s in the Big 12. Russell put on a show with the guy listed below on their way to a blowout.
Corey Coleman, Baylor (199 yards receiving, 3 TD)----Coleman has broken a school record……….in half a season. In six games, Coleman has amassed 877 yards and 16 touchdowns (the school record). To put that in perspective, last year’s Biletnikoff (best receiver) winner, Amari Cooper, had 16 total touchdowns for the year.
Akrum Wadley, Iowa (204 yards rushing, 4 TD)----Wadley was just the next back in line for success for the Hawkeyes. With Jordan Canzeri hurt, Wadley came in and ran all over the Wildcats in Evanston. Northwestern looked foolish trying to stop Wadley and have now lost their last two games by a combined 68 points.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama (2 INT for TD)----While I think the Tide would have been fine without these two scores, Fitzpatrick left nothing to chance by housing two bad throws by Aggies QB Kyle Allen. The last pick sealed the win for Bama.
GAME BALL: Utah State Defense. Not often does a group get a game ball, but this one is certainly well deserved. Utah State’s season has been defined by another injury to QB Chuckie Keeton (great name), but now their defense has made a bold statement to remind the nation they are more than one player.
WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS
One play away from 4-0 this week. One play. That play will be remembered for years to come. The thought of getting all four games right stings more when that one play cost you a 2-0 week of upset specials.
My pick: LSU 24 Florida 17 ACTUAL: LSU 35 Florida 28
Treon Harris proved a lot of people wrong by showing composure through most of the game. He didn’t commit any turnovers in what was a mostly clean game for both sides in the department. The last drive, Harris was running for his life just to keep the play alive, which isn’t his fault. In the end, the Death Valley crowd got to the Gators and LSU came out with the win. Leonard Fournette was again running all over defenders, and Florida had no answer for him. Tigers QB Brandon Harris finally took some pressure off the run game by throwing for 202 yards. While that numbers appears to be pedestrian, Harris made timely throws for first downs and kept the Gators honest on defense. The play that has everyone talking is the fake field goal pass to kicker Trent Domingue. Domingue caught a pass (after bobbling it several times) for the go ahead score. Les Miles proved once again that he is willing to pull out all of the stops to win.
My pick: Baylor 49 West Virginia 24 ACTUAL: Baylor 62 West Virginia 38
With the way the first quarter was going, both teams were on their way to 100 points. They eventually slowed down, but Baylor was always in the driver’s seat. The combination of Seth Russell and Corey Coleman was unstoppable, and West Virginia struggled to cover the field all game. This offense is scary, and the defense has been making enough stops to help Bear’s fans feel comfortable with their leads. Baylor needs to be aware of their next foe, Iowa State. The Cyclones gave TCU fits this week before the Frogs pulled away, and Baylor needs to take them seriously to avoid a letdown.
My pick: Alabama 38 Texas A&M 28 ACTUAL: Alabama 41 Texas A&M 23
This game never had the feeling of ever getting away from Bama. Three pick-sixes and 236 yards from Derrick Henry were enough for the Tide to win. Tide QB Jake Coker is showing how fierce of a competitor he is, but the coaches may have to calm him down a little. Coker made some big plays with his legs, but will be told by coaches to maybe slide or run out of bounds instead of taking some unnecessary hits. Needless to say, the Tide are dangerous and can be listed back in the playoff conversation.
My pick: Michigan 28 Michigan State 27 ACTUAL: Michigan State 27 Michigan 23
The most shocking play of college football this season occurred in Ann Arbor this weekend. The kick-six brought the Spartans from disappointed to ecstatic. MSU had a little bit of luck left in the tank, but will probably need to talk about their celebrations. Hero Jalen Watts-Jackson hurt his hip during the celebration and was carted off the field. I’m sure Jalen will say it was worth it, but no celebration is worth losing a season over. The Spartans will need to play a lot better in the future if they are to remain undefeated and stay in playoff contention.
