Another interesting weekend of football is in the books, and as we get even closer to the end of the regular season – Thanksgiving and the great rivalry games that weekend brings us isn’t too far away – the field of contenders is starting to thin itself out. As always, there were plenty of individuals and teams who covered themselves in glory. Here’s the pick of that bunch:
Army: the Black Knights took the field carrying the French tricolour in lieu of their usual accompaniment, the American flag. It was a wonderful nod to the people of France after the horrific terrorist attacks across Paris. Whoever came up with that idea deserves some sort of medal. It was a spine-tingling moment. The only shame of the day is that the Black Knights couldn’t pull off the win, falling to Tulane on a last-second field goal.
Oklahoma: Big Game Bob does it again. The Sooners were in control throughout a typically wild Big XII contest in Waco that had just about everything you could want in a football game. The end result, aside from Oklahoma’s 44-34 win, is a shook-up Big XII. Oklahoma State would appear to be in the box seat now, but in this conference, who really knows? One thing’s for sure, the Sooners would be killing themselves for that bad loss to a horrid Texas team last month. Without that L on their resume, imagine what they might be poised to do?
Derrick Henry: the Alabama back might well be running his way to a Heisman. At the very least, he helped a slow-starting Crimson Tide team rout Mississippi State 31-6, running for 204 yards and two scores. He has at least one touchdown in fifteen straight games.
Keenan Reynolds: the Navy quarterback broke the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns, scoring four times (and passing for one, as well) as the Midshipmen 55-14. They were career touchdowns 78-81 on a day where everything went right for Navy.
Ezekiel Elliott: the Ohio State running back ripped off 181 yards and two touchdowns on twenty-seven carries as the Buckeyes dispatched Illinois 28-3. The Buckeyes are 10-0 for the third straight year under Urban Meyer, but their schedule gets exponentially harder from here, with Michigan State and Michigan up in coming weeks. The rest of the Buckeye offense, indifferent to now, will need to be as good as Elliott has been if they’re to remain undefeated.
Jalin Moore: the Appalachian State running back helped himself to a school freshman record 224 yards at 9.0 yards per carry as the Mountaineers defeated Idaho 47-20 in Moscow, ID on Saturday afternoon. Moore’s game was as good as any we’ve seen from a running back this weekend!
Texas Tech: the Red Raiders recorded their first Big XII win against a team other than Kansas or Iowa State – the two easy-beats of the conference – in more than two years. Their 658 yards of total offense today were enough to defeat Kansas State 59-44.
Houston: it wasn’t pretty, and it would’ve given the sell-out home crowd heart palpitations, but the Cougars came back from twenty points down – at that point, I thought they were done and dusted – and had QB Kyle Potsma run in a 7-yard touchdown with 1:40 on the clock to clinch a narrow 35-34 win over Memphis. As they say, a win’s an win, and Houston remain undefeated, albeit by the skin of their knuckles.
Virginia Tech: the Hokies found themselves in a fourteen-point hole against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but their offense found a spark, and suddenly there was life. VT rallied for a big 23-21 victory behind a 135-yard/2-touchdown performance from back Travon McMillan that puts them a step closer to a post-season Bowl appearance in Frank Beamer’s final season.
Josh Adams: the back-up Notre Dame running back scored a touchdown on a 98-yard run play from scrimmage in the first half of the Fighting Irish’s win over Wake Forest. He’ll go into the record books at Notre Dame, too – no mean feat, that – as it was the longest run in Notre Dame history. The Fighting Irish closed out their home schedule undefeated.
Sean Maguire: the long-time backup to Jameis Winston at Florida State had performed the same duty behind transfer Everett Golson most of this year, and saw action on Saturday in relief of Golson, who was responsible for three turnovers and just seven points on five drives. Maguire, on the other hand, looked great, notching twenty points and no turnovers on four drives, completing 18 of 28 passes for 231 yards and two scores.
Oregon: behind a near-flawless performance from QB Vernon Adams Jr., the Ducks shocked favoured Stanford 38-36 in Palo Alto. Adams was sensation, completing all but two passes and showing everyone why the Ducks welcomed him in from FCS school Eastern Washington with open arms.
Arizona: it took two overtimes, but the unranked Wildcats knocked off Utah 37-30. As if the Pac-12 hadn’t had enough drama already.
Washington State: What? Drama in the Pac-12? Okay, then. On a crazy night out west, the Cougars managed to beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl, winning a narrow and tight contest 31-27, and they did it on the back of a superb all-around effort. Alongside the Oregon win earlier in the season – which is looking pretty good now – this was Mike Leach’s best win in his tenure as head coach in Pullman. A genuine shocker!
Jehu Chesson: the Michigan receiver played a starring role in a heart-stopping 2OT victory over Indiana, catching 10 passes for 207 yards. Chesson’s most important play was the touchdown he nabbed to take the game into overtime. His chemistry with QB Jake Rudock is getting dangerous.
Jalen Robinette: Air Force wide receivers don’t often get a lot of work in what’s an run-first option offense, but Robinette had himself a day out against Utah State on Saturday, making ten receptions for 210 yards, including a huge 74-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. It’s the most reception yardage for an Air Force player since 1978!
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