Week 8: Quiet Week Turns Loud
Week 8: Quiet Week Turns Loud
10/27/15
Joe Broback
Week 8 was supposed to be boring, but it may rank as one of the most chaotic weeks of the season. Two undefeated teams lost in stunning fashion, and we were reminded once again that anyone can win on any given week. A star was injured and may be lost for the season, and the small schools are still trying to prove they belong with the big boys. In the end, Week 8’s chaos opened the doors back up for some teams, and closed hard on others. Al Golden was fired after an embarrassing performance at home, leaving many to wonder what’s next for the Canes. Let the “Bring back Jimmy Johnson” rumors begin.
TRENDING UP
Kick Six Part 2----In what was one of the craziest plays in college football, Georgia Tech beat Florida State on a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown to end the game. The Yellow Jackets were having a less than stellar season, and this provided a spark and some momentum for GT to finish the season.
Fight On----Clay Helton got his first win since taking over for Steve Sarkisian at home. The Trojans stunned #3 Utah with the help of 4 interceptions by the defense. The season was quickly unraveling for USC, but this win turned things around quickly.
TRENDING DOWN
Bear Down----Baylor got the win, but they will without their quarterback the rest of the year. Seth Russell injured his neck and needs surgery. Russell has been an integral part of the Bears’ offense and is getting some Heisman attention. Losing him for the season isn’t a back breaker, but it will be difficult without him.
Semi-NO!-les----The aforementioned Kick six resulted in the Noles essentially losing their playoff hopes. The normally reliable Robert Aguayo had his kick blocked and FSU was stunned by Georgia Tech.
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK
Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, Oklahoma (355 combined rushing yards, 6 TD)----Who needs to throw when you have these two in the backfield? QB Baker Mayfield had an average day throwing (212 yards) but Perin and Mixon did the work Saturday. Performances like this still make us wonder how these Sooners managed to lose to Texas.
Paxton Lynch, Memphis (447 yards passing, 4 TD)----At least the offense didn’t suffer a setback. A week after pulling off an upset of Ole Miss, the Tigers defense couldn’t seem to stop Tulsa. Luckily, Lynch and the offense were ready to go by putting up 63 points. Lynch seems to look better every week, and his performances have received the attention from NFL scouts.
Ezekiel Elliott & J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (243 combined yards rushing, 4 TD)----Again, it took the Buckeyes a little while to get rolling, but they did, in fact, get rolling. Barrett got his first start this season and did enough to get the win over a bad Rutgers team. Elliott provided his usual workload and the Buckeyes coasted to their eighth win this year.
Connor Cook, Michigan State (398 yards passing, 4 TD)----The Spartans finally pulled away in the fourth quarter with the help of Cook’s arm, but they did make things interesting by letting the Hoosiers hang around. The matchup against Ohio State is starting to look like a matchup of two teams just trying to squeak by. To say that Iowa is the most impressive team in the Big Ten would not be out of the question.
Matt Johnson, Bowling Green (430 yards passing, 5 TD)----Give this man the ball, and he will find a receiver. Johnson has put up gaudy numbers almost every week this year, and is showing that Bowling Green will be tough to beat. The Falcons can still win the conference and wins over Ohio this week and Toledo in the future will help that cause.
Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (348 yards passing, 3 TD; 117 yards rushing 3 TD)----Prescott is making the list of “teams that would gladly have him as their quarterback” grow every week. While the Bulldogs beat Kentucky this week, they have assumed the role of ruining playoff chances versus competing for them. I wouldn’t call this a waste of talent, but Prescott’s impact would mean so much more on a competitive team.
GAME BALL: Lynch. Johnson can easily get this, but Lynch is the reason his team remained undefeated. The Tigers still need their defense show consistency, otherwise Lynch and Co. will have to score 50+ every game. Those are high expectations that shouldn’t be relied on.
WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS
My pick: Clemson 38 Miami 21 ACTUAL: Clemson 58 Miami 0
In what will go down as the game that got Al Golden fired, Miami made Clemson look like national champs. While this game alone didn’t show Golden the door, the Hurricanes play didn’t exactly help him keep the job. Throw in losing QB Brad Kaaya to a concussion and the Canes were doomed from the start. Clemson’s defense made life for Miami’s offense miserable, but that wasn’t enough for Tiger’s coach Dabo Swinney. Swinney kept his team on the field at halftime and gave his team an earful before going to the locker room. Swinney is sending a message to his team that complacency will not be tolerated (a good attitude for Clemson to have after what happened to Florida State).
My pick: Florida State 42 Georgia Tech 28 ACTUAL: Georgia Tech 22 Florida State 16
Michigan thought it had the only iconic play of the season, but this game may just top the loss to the Spartans. Florida State was lining up for the game winning field goal. With Robert Aguayo kicking, the 56 yarder seemed manageable, but it was blocked and returned by Georgia Tech for the game winning touchdown instead. The Yellow Jackets made the ACC a one team race for first with the win, but they don’t care. Throw all of the stats out from this game, because the return for a touchdown is the only on that mattered.
My pick: Utah 34 USC 14 ACTUAL: USC 42 Utah 24
One stunner after the other. Utah is normally the one that surprises USC, but the Trojans flipped the script on the Utes. Ute’s QB Travis Wilson never looked comfortable and runningback Devontae Booker never got going. Their defense was hardly the problem as Wilson threw 4 picks to give the Trojans momentum. This loss proves that it will be difficult for any team to remain undefeated, but there is hope for those who remain unblemished. There are 12 teams that are undefeated after this week (there were only 4 at this point in the season of 2014), but many of those teams still have to play the toughest part of their schedules. Utah is just another team that was surprised by an underdog, which is a feeling they have to get used to. The Utes aren’t out of playoff contention, but they cannot afford to lose again.
My pick: Ole Miss 42 Texas A&M 24 ACTUAL: Ole miss 23 Texas A&M 3
Kyle Allen had one chance to prove the Alabama game was a fluke, but he did not last long. Allen was replaced after going 12-34 for 88 yards with 2 interceptions, and the Aggies never got any offense going. Ole Miss wasn’t spectacular either, but made enough plays to keep the game out of reach. The Rebels are still out of playoff contention, but at least they bounced back after a rough week against Memphis.
