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We’re nearing the halfway point of the 2023 college football season, and Week 7 offers several strong matchups that could set the course for the long run. What did we learn from all the action? Below, our writers highlight the top stories from around the country.
No. 1 Georgia 37, Vanderbilt 20
2nd place Michigan State 52, Indiana State 7
3rd place: Ohio State University 41, Purdue University 7
4th Florida State 41, Syracuse 3
No. 6 Pennsylvania State University 63, Massachusetts 0
7th Washington 36, 8th Oregon 33
No.21 Notre Dame 48, No.10USC20
No. 11 Alabama 24, Arkansas 21
12th North Carolina 41, 25th Miami 31
Pitt 38, No. 14 Louisville 21
15th Oregon State University 36, 18th UCLA 24
No. 16 Utah 34, California 14
No. 17 Duke University 24, North Carolina State University 3
No. 19 Tennessee 20, Texas A&M 13
Arizona State 44, 19th Washington State 6
No. 22 LSU 48, Auburn 18
Oklahoma State 39, 23 Kansas State 32
Missouri 38, No. 24 Kentucky 21
long night at the university of southern california
The Lincoln Riley football team has speed all over the place, and quarterback Caleb Williams is a wizard behind center. But when faced with a legitimate Power 5 opponent, a pre-snap penalty, poor protection, a kickoff at the worst possible time, a bust in his coverage, an inadvertent turnover, or all of the above. USC’s talent from top to bottom isn’t enough to overcome the sloppiness Riley and his staff have allowed the team to have.
USC has survived disasters before, but Notre Dame is simply too talented, especially on defense, especially when playing at home. Ireland played well up front on both sides of the ball in this game and could have ended the game early in the second half if they had continued to compete on the ground, but the score was 48-20. It’s hard to argue with the overall performance. Beat your rivals. Quarterback Sam Hartman took big shots when he needed to, and the Irish often found themselves in situations they could handle offensively.
Williams, on the other hand, had perhaps his worst game as a college admit. USC had no answer to the Irish pass rush, which forced Williams to run all night and take too many careless chances, three of which ended in first-half interceptions. Williams can do a lot against less talented defenses towards the bottom of the Pac-12, but as Notre Dame showed, that’s not the reality. Williams took too long to compose himself in this game, and the Trojans didn’t feel competitive at all. As good as Williams is outside of the structure of play, his performance against pass rushers forced to stay in the pocket longer is noteworthy. Part of his appeal to NFL scouts is off the platform, but he still needs to work on consistency in the pocket.
Saturday saw a big change on defense for Notre Dame, who recorded six sacks. The Irish attack is still finding balance, which is great. I would argue that the Irish should go all-in on the ground game because it is their greatest weapon.
Meanwhile, Riley is reminded of something else. That said, his football program is nowhere near good enough to be in the top half of the Big Ten at the line of scrimmage. Time is running out to fix it. — nick baumgardner
even deeper
Auerbach’s Top 10: Washington ranked No. 1, UNC also ranked
How clear is the top two in the ACC?
Will we see some separation at the top of the ACC? On Saturday, No. 4 Florida State, led by wideout Keon Coleman, easily defeated Syracuse, 41-3, followed by No. 12 North Carolina State, No. 25. That’s how it felt when they defeated Miami 41-31 to hand the suddenly upset Hurricanes a win. Second consecutive conference loss. (Incidentally, it didn’t take long for UNC wideout Tez Walker to get comfortable. The recently returned Tez Walker had six catches for 132 yards in his second game of the season.) (3 of 4 touchdown passes to Drake Maye.) 14 Louisville also helped the story by stumbling in a 38-21 loss at Pitt.
As a result, the undefeated Seminoles and Tar Heels feel like they’re in the class of the league, a feeling similar to watching Texas and Oklahoma tear apart the rest of the Big 12 in last week’s Red River Rivalry. . The difference in the ACC is that Florida State and North Carolina will not play each other in the regular season, potentially leading to an undefeated ACC title game for a playoff spot. Indeed, we are ahead of the curve. There’s plenty of football left to be played before that, and there are plenty of chances for one or both to pull away from Louisville.
There are also obvious spoilers in all of this. This is Duke. The No. 17 Blue Devils cruised to a clinical 24-3 win over North Carolina State for a 2-0 win in the ACC on Saturday despite missing starting quarterback Riley Leonard with an ankle injury. . The challenge for Duke is that it will have a tougher road trip against both the Seminoles and Tar Heels (and Cardinals). Mike Elko’s team heads to Tallahassee next Saturday.
If the Blue Devils can finally reach the ACC Championship, they will have earned it. But on Saturday, it started to look as if Florida State and North Carolina State were on track for a showdown in Charlotte. — Justin Williams
Oregon and Washington instant classic
The best quarterback play in college football this season has been found on the West Coast, and the best games of the year so far have come in the far Pacific Northwest, with Michael Penix Jr. and Washington one play ahead of Bo. played a lot. The Knicks and Oregon State could rally for a 36-33 Huskies victory. Penix’s 302 passing yards accounted for nearly three-quarters of the Huskies’ offense and all seven of their third and fourth down conversions. Penix, battling an apparent abdominal injury, overcame a tough second half with two three-and-outs and missed goal-line chances. While under pressure, he couldn’t seem to find the touch or the playmakers. The two-play, go-ahead drive he responded with should make him a sure-fire Heisman Trophy favorite, both in Las Vegas and in the national conversation.
For Oregon State, the Ducks should come out of the game feeling more encouraged than frustrated. The goal was to be a tougher, more physical and accurate team, and the visiting team accomplished that throughout the game. The offense averaged 5 yards per rush and over 200 total yards. The Knicks completed 75% of his passes. The Ducks held the ball for nearly 10 minutes more than UW, going 10 of 16 on third down and finishing with no giveaways. A missed fourth down conversion late in the fourth quarter and a missed field goal as the field goal buzzer sounded were the difference today, but head coach Dan Lanning believes his program is on par with Washington’s. You should feel that there is. This probably won’t be the last time these two teams meet. — Deante Lee
even deeper
Mandel: Pac-12 is on board.But Washington is the clear candidate for CFP
Iowa State dominates the Big Ten West
There’s no aesthetic when it comes to playing Iowa football, but that’s especially true when the Hawkeyes play Wisconsin. But results matter more than style points, and Iowa (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) is currently in the driver’s seat of the Big Ten West.
Iowa State focused on its running game, and it really paid off in Saturday’s 15-6 win in Madison. The Hawkeyes rushed for 200 yards, the program’s most against Wisconsin since 2008. Leshon Williams broke free in the first half and had an 82-yard touchdown run, far from his only big carry. Torrie Taylor completed 10 punts for an average of 50.6 yards, with five of them going for 50 or more yards and six of them landing inside 20 yards. And the Hawkeyes’ defense, with senior defensive back Sebastian Castro playing a starring role, shut out Wisconsin. Iowa State will now have to hold serve for four consecutive home games before the season finale against Nebraska. — scott doctorman
What happened to Colorado?
Colorado’s rebuilt roster has many flaws, but on Friday night it lost 46-43 in double overtime to Stanford, two of its three major flaws in school history. They allowed their largest lead of 29 points.
The Buffaloes have struggled to move the ball all season and have had to build a running game using quarterback Shedule Sanders’ feet and passes thrown to the perimeter. Despite a big lead, Colorado’s running backs were held to just 21 carries for 81 yards, and the offense scored touchdowns on the first four possessions of the first half before punting twice and turning on downs on the first four possessions of the second half. He recorded two overs. Colorado ranks 130th in the nation in yards per carry.
In addition to struggles in the run game, Colorado has struggled all season to cover opposing receivers with a thin cornerback group. Colorado ranks 130th in the nation in passing yards per game, 119th in completion percentage and 91st in passing yards per attempt. The return of two-way star Travis Hunter didn’t help. He allowed some of the biggest plays of the night to Stanford wideout Eric Ayomanor, who tied his own school record with 294 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 13 catches, all in the second half. Established. But the inability to run the ball and slow down the clock and the inability to cover opposing receivers and thwart comeback attempts is a bad combination. But that’s the situation in Colorado right now. — david ubben
Georgia is likely to avoid major injuries without Brock Bowers.
Georgia wasn’t as good against Vanderbilt this week as it was last week at home against Kentucky, but the Bulldogs likely avoided a major injury blow.
Brock Bowers, who sparked Georgia’s rally with a career-high 157 yards against Auburn in September, played three consecutive games before injuring his ankle in the second quarter of Saturday’s 37-20 win. He recorded 100 yards receiving. Georgia coach Kirby Smart expects the tight end to be OK, but said Bowers is getting his foot X-rayed just to be sure.
Georgia is still the most talented team in the country without Bowers and has weapons in the passing game, but when the chips are down, Bowers is the most reliable for first-year starting QB Carson Beck. Become a possible target. The Bulldogs could have won the SEC East without Bowers, but if he missed the SEC title game or the playoffs, the Bulldogs’ first three-peat championship in nearly a century and the sports world would have been much more difficult. It might have been a waste of water. . So far, that doesn’t seem to be the case. — Ubben
even deeper
Rex Road: Vols head to Alabama with a defense that can play and an offense that can’t pass.
alabama survives
If Alabama wants to legitimately compete for the SEC Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide will have to play much cleaner than they did Saturday. Nick Saban was the first to admit after Alabama’s 24-21 home win over Arkansas that his team “has to learn how to play 60 minutes and close games,” he said on an ESPN broadcast. . But a win is a win, and as of midseason, the Crimson Tide are still in playoff contention. That’s all that matters to Saban’s team.
Alabama appeared to be on pace for an easy day as the Crimson Tide entered halftime with a 21-6 lead, but extended that advantage to 24-6 midway through the third quarter. . But while Arkansas did score late in the third, it was largely due to two crucial penalties by the Alabama defense, both on third down. A facemask call on third-and-eight by defensive back Jalen Key kept the Razorbacks’ drive alive, gaining 15 yards and a first down at their own 42-yard line. A few minutes later, defensive back Caleb Downs received a pass interference call that took the Razorbacks to 5 yards from Alabama’s own 20-yard line. Arkansas scored one play later and carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, making it a three-point game with nearly 11 points. Play time is a few minutes.
Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner sacked Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson for an 11-yard loss on third-and-8 on Arkansas’ final drive of the afternoon with time remaining. Let’s give him credit for making a big play. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe finished the game completing just 10 of 21 passes, but threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns. This Alabama team has a lot to figure out and a lot to learn. It’s a cause for concern that they have a double-digit lead over the Arkansas team, which currently has 2 wins and 5 losses. But the Crimson Tide found a way to win in a season without a clear favorite. Don’t count out yet. — Grace Rayner
(Photo: Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
