It was a wild weekend of games, which saw conference play expand in earnest. That means ramifications begin to take place with an eye on the postseason. We came into this week with a few key matchups on the schedule, but some upsets also played out to make for intriguing viewing.
One Friday matchup became impactful and there were a number of curiosities, overtime games, and some Hail Mary plays looming large, making for thrilling endings to a fun weekend of college football.
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In what has to be a statistical anomaly, North Carolina had a huge game, amassing over 600 yards in offense and scoring 50 points – and they played horribly in a loss. Reduced to inserting their third string QB and committing five turnovers, they did this against a James Madison team that was firing on all cylinders. Alonza Barnett threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns. The Dukes had a pick-6 and a punt return for a TD; offensively, they also put up 600-plus yards. James Madison scored 53 points at halftime, en route to a 70-50 victory.
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The Oklahoma Sooners were clamped down so effectively that in the first 12 drives, they managed only a single field goal.
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Two weeks ago, Northern Illinois shocked the nation by beating Notre Dame on the road, sealing the win with a blocked field goal. This week, they hosted underdog Buffalo which tied the game on a desperation toss and then locked the win in overtime – by blocking a field goal attempt.
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In the battle of struggling SEC programs, the Florida Gators handled Mississippi State by platooning QBs Graham Mertz and DJ Langway, and the pair combined for only two incompletions all game.
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Ahead of the religious war between TCU and SMU, the Horned Frogs were trolling the fact that the ACC matchup was shown on the CW Network.
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Friday night, Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor not only replicated the famed Odell Beckham one-arm catch, but did so wearing the #13 as well.
You know they practice this, but pulling off the OBJ catch in a game for the TD is next level. pic.twitter.com/SwKxewuXBX
— Brad Slager: A Folksy Coach & Joyful As a K-Hive! (@MartiniShark) September 22, 2024
Tennessee 25 – Oklahoma 15
Volunteer QB Nico Iamaleava had a modest game, but this is due to head coach Josh Huepel returning to his home stadium and recognizing his old school struggling offensively–and all they needed to do was control the clock and the scoreboard. The Sooners were inept offensively, benching starter Michael Hawkins and then playing so poorly that they ended up replacing him behind center later in the game. They did not score until garbage time in the 4th quarter.
Michigan 27 – USC 24
After breaking two long touchdown runs in the first half, the Wolverines could not do much else for much of the game. Alex Orji only completed seven passes for 32 yards; the Trojans managed to battle back to a 4th quarter lead during their introduction to the Big-10. But a desperation drive by Michigan led to Kalel Mullings, delivering a 159-yard performance, to score the game-winning, one-yard touchdown with less than a minute to play.
Utah 22 – Oklahoma State 19
You had the sense this would be close when frequently wounded Utah QB Cam Rising was sitting out with a hand injury. The Utes defense was just smothering, holding OSU’s Alan Bowman to just over 200 yards passing, with a pair of TDs but also two interceptions. The Cowboys did not reach 300 yards in total offense, and meanwhile, Utah’s Micah Bernard walked all over them with 182 yards rushing.
LSU 34 – UCLA 17
This was looking to be an interesting contest as the Bruins were holding this to a 17-17 tie at halftime, but that would be all they could earn as the Tigers shut them down. Even erasing the 51 yards lost to sacks on Ethan Garbers, UCLA only managed 65 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Garrett Nussmeier was turned loose, throwing for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
Illinois 31 – Nebraska 24
Spoiling the Cornhuskers returning to the top 25, the undefeated Ilini took them to overtime, and with what many feel was help from the officials, they pulled off an upset. After scoring on a 4-yard strike in OT, a third-down pass from Dylan Raiola saw his receiver tackled out of bounds with what looked to some as a helmet-on-helmet hit. But no targeting penalty was called, and then Raiola was sacked on the following 4th-down play to end the game.
Colorado 38 – Baylor 31
Shedur Sanders pulled off a miracle for the Buffalos Saturday night. As time ran out, he chucked a 43-yard prayer that was caught in the end zone, forcing overtime. The Buffalos took the first possession in for a touchdown, and then mayhem was seen in Colorado. With Baylor on the verge of tying the game, two-way sensation Travis Hunter – who had a 130-yard receiving game – made a hit on running back Swayer Robertson at the one-yard line, causing a fumble out of the end zone that brought thousands of fans onto the field, while the referees were still determining if it was a score or not.
Here is the newest Associated Press poll (as of Sept. 22):
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Texas
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Georgia
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Ohio State
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Alabama
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Tennessee
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Ole Miss
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Miami
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Oregon
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Penn State
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Utah
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Missouri
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Michigan
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USC
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LSU
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Louisville
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Notre Dame
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Clemson
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Iowa State
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Illinois
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Oklahoma State
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Oklahoma
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Brigham Young
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Kansas State
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Texas A&M
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Boise State
