Gophers Set Up Title Run; Alabama Survives Low Scoring Battle
GOPHERS UPDATE
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Final Score: Minnesota 44 Purdue 31
Final Thoughts: And the 2016 Most Inconsistent Team of the Year Award goes to your Minnesota Golden Gophers. For a team that looked to rely on its defense to win games, this sure surprised everyone. Purdue is still really bad defensively, but their offense has proven it can compete in the Big Ten. Thankfully, the Gophers have a running game, because they wouldn't have an offense without it. Yes, Leidner threw for 231 yards, but he didn't throw a touchdown pass and had an interception. This vanilla offense runs through Rodney Smith, and they just hope that they can run the ball efficiently enough to not have to pass. For a half, it looked like Minnesota wasn't ready to keep up with the Boilermakers, and the crowd was getting restless. Purdue QB David Blough is no slouch, and Minnesota's defense did what it could to contain him. Now that this trap game is over, the Gophers can prepare for the most challenging games of their season. Up next is Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin. If Minnesota wins out, they win the West. The Big Ten appears to be tighter than many anticipated, and the Gophers are looking for their shot to compete with the best of this conference.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Washington can score. The Huskies will most likely be ranked in the top four after this week's beatdown of Cal. Jake Browning continues to make a statement in the playoff race as well as the Heisman race. With 6 touchdown passes, he ensured there would be no road upset for the Golden Bears. Their schedule may not be the toughest, but their play is impossible to ignore at this rate. Washington continues to separate itself from the rest of the Pac 12, but awaits a test against USC next week.
Baylor's implosion is beginning. Well maybe it's continuing. After losing to Texas in the last minute, the Bears were crushed by 4-4 TCU at home. With everything surrounding the Bears football team this offseason, it will be difficult to turn things around. People are now calling for the team to cancel the rest of their season, and the pressure is getting out of control.
Jalen Hurd is no longer a Volunteer. The Vols RB informed coach Butch Jones that he intends to transfer, and there has been a ton of criticism thrown his way for that decision. Many are accusing him of not being mentally tough, and not being a leader for the team. Hurd has been largely ineffective this season, and the Vols have fallen out of the top 25 picture. Hurd had so much potential, but now his size are skills are being ignored due to his desire to leave Knoxville.
TRENDING UP
Knights Defense Explodes----Scott Frost was supposed to have his offense turned around this year, not his defense. The Knights must have missed the memo as they forced five Tulane turnovers, and three of them resulted in touchdowns (two interception returns and one fumble return). Frost has his team at 5-4 one year after going winless, and his offense hardly had to do anything in this game.
Boomer Sooner----For those who wrote off Oklahoma after the first three games, guess who's back. The Sooners were ranked in the top ten in the AP poll, and have taken control of the Big 12 with an undefeated conference record. While another playoff appearance may be a stretch, they have turned things around. Tough tests against Baylor and Oklahoma State await, but the Sooners are in the driver's seat for now.
TRENDING DOWN
Not All Sunshine and Rose(n)----UCLA's Golden Boy is done for the year. Josh Rosen's season due to a shoulder injury. The outspoken and often-criticized star has not performed well, and his team's record reflects that. Now that he has been out the last two weeks, his team looks inconsistent and lost on offense. Even with Rosen, I'm not sure if that would have made a difference.
Sparty Falls Again----I really didn't want this to happen, especially not to Michigan State. The Spartans lost their seventh game in a row, and this one hurt the most as they lost to Illinois. The free fall continues in East Lansing, and it is one of the saddest/most alarming storylines of college football. Even though they have Rutgers next, it doesn't get any easier for them. Finishing their schedule includes Ohio State at home and a road trip to Penn State.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (416 total yards, 7 TD)----What more can you say? He's Lamar Jackson. If you don't know him by now, what have you been doing?
Kyle Hicks, RB, TCU (195 yards, 5 TD)----Hicks led the beatdown of Baylor. After being held to 30 yards against Texas Tech (ouch), Hicks unleashed his frustrations on the Bears defense all game.
Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech (161 yards, 5 TD)----Even when teams start guarding him through the passing game, he still finds a way to score on the ground. Henderson still scored four TD's through the air, but also added a rushing touchdown in yet another blowout.
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
Game ball: Hicks. Jackson and Henderson have been doing this already, but Hicks may have provided the knockout blow to Baylor's season.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
In the end, Georgia Tech got into a shootout that was too much for them to handle. North Carolina's offense ran behind Elijah Hood in a much needed breakout game for the running back. QB Mitch Trubisky was still solid, but got a lot of relief from Hood throughout the game. The Tar Heels also separated themselves from GT and made the Atlantic a two team race with Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech still put up 519 yards of total offense against the Tar Heels, leading to questions about Carolina's defense, but also proving that the triple option is still difficult to defend. With a loss to Virginia Tech, North Carolina needs some help if they hope to get to the ACC championship game, and a finale against North Carolina State definitely won't be easy. They just have to hope the Yellow Jackets help them out next week, otherwise they will have to rely on Notre Dame or Virginia to beat the Hokies, and those are not bets I would take.
TCU did to Baylor what Baylor had done to so many teams in the past, and this loss stings the Bears. Behind Kyle Hicks' amazing rushing performance, the Horned Frogs showed they are still competitors in the Big 12. They used 28 second quarter points to pull away from Baylor, and never looked back. TCU displayed Baylor's issues on the field, and the Bears still have a tough schedule remaining. Their remaining matchups include Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia. At this rate, Baylor figures to be in a free fall. With everything going on with their program, it could be a long time before we talk about this team again in a positive manner on and off the field.
Let me pose this questions: would you have watched this game if it included any other teams? Probably not. That's the power of two elite defenses, and why even in low scoring games, people say the game was great. Both defenses stifled the opposing offenses most of the game, until Jalen Hurts scored in the fourth quarter. Many thought Leonard Fournette would break out and finally solve the Tide's defensive puzzle, but that was far from happening. The Tigers offense looked terrible against the best defense in the country, and Fournette never got going. LSU can now focus on finishing the season, moving Fournette to the NFL, and figuring out if Ed Orgeron is the solution to their coaching vacancy. Alabama can now wait until they play Auburn before they need to ramp up the intensity again. With their schedule and the SEC East being awful again, the Tide's path to the playoff is pretty clear.
Nebraska got a taste of what it's like to play the East. One week after losing a nail-biter to Wisconsin, the Huskers were destroyed on national television. They were outscored 62-3, outgained 509-204, and they lost their starting quarterback. Tommy Armstrong was knocked out of the game after being knocked down and hitting his head on the ground. Armstrong did not move for a while, and was eventually carted of the field on a backboard. He would later return to the sideline (without pads), and help coach his teammates for the remainder of the game. His absence made no impact on the game, as the Buckeyes were cruising at that point. A touching tribute occurred at the beginning of the game with the late Sam Foltz's parents and the Ohio State kicking specialists. Foltz's parents received a Buckeyes' helmet with his logo on the back, and 27 Buckeye stickers on it as well. For such a tragic incident, college football teams have made sure that Foltz is always remembered, and every team that has played Nebraska has put together touching tributes and gifts for his parent's to always remember. It's a nice reminder that football is only a game, and there are people and things that are more important than winning on Saturday nights.
