10 Storylines-Week 4

I know it has been more than a week since I last blogged, but school work comes first! I am your typical high school student, not to mention a college football blogger on the side. After an upset filled Saturday across the nation, I will break down all of the five upsets and a preview of week 6 action.

1. Arizona State Upsets No. 7 UCLA In First PAC 12 South Win- UCLA’s freshman, Josh Rosen, almost mirrored Sun Devils’ senior, Mike Bercovici. Rosen threw for 280 yards, 7 yards more than Bercovici. Both playcallers threw for a pair of touchdowns and an interception. But the real hero for Arizona State was sophomore running back, Kalen Ballage, who dived into the end zone for the game’s winning touchdown in Arizona State’s 38-23 conference win over UCLA. The Sun Devils’ offense relied on both their running backs and their receivers. Arizona State can now contend in the PAC 12 South with the underrated Bercovici leading the way. The Sun Devils’ QB does not need to rely on eye popping numbers each week, but can come up on huge plays when called upon. This is a trait that has helped  another behind the curtain player from the past, Jake Plummer. Plummer threw for less than 2,600 yards each of his 3 seasons at Arizona State. He focused more on helping his teammates find good looks, as is the same with Bercovici. The Sun Devils take on a weak Colorado secondary next Saturday. UCLA has a bye week, than an anticipated week 7 matchup at #18 Stanford on Thursday night.

   

   Arizona State’s Kalen Ballage (9), swarmed by Bruins’ defenders, falls into the end zone to secure the upset. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin)

2. No. 6 Notre Dame Misses Tying Two Point Conversion As No. 12 Clemson Hangs On: Do not count out Coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers out of the playoff race just yet. QB DeShaun Watson threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another in Clemson’s 24-22 upset win over Notre Dame. The win was the Tigers’ 12th straight victory at Memorial Stadium, the third longest streak in the school’s history, and fourth longest in the FBS. Watson looked composed, facing a blitz of 5 or more defenders on both passing touchdowns. The Tigers’ offensive line deserves the most credit for keeping their QB protected. Clemson hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday. Notre Dame has to deal with another great quarterback, in Navy’s Keenan Reynolds next Saturday. Expect Notre Dame’s defense to bounce back and stop Reynolds when he rushes.
3. Florida Stays Undefeated, Upsets No. 3 Ole Miss: Ole Miss QB, Chad Kelly, could not follow up last week’s great performance against Alabama this week against Florida. Will Grier proved to be the “it” factor for Florida, throwing for more than 270 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 38-10 victory over Ole Miss. Grier focused more on finding open teammates in the endzone. This is evident as the Gators’ passing game saw 4 different receivers catch touchdown passes. This performance will definitely move Florida up the AP Top 25 Rankings. On the flip side, the Gator’s defense flooded the Rebels’ pocket, by sacking Kelly 4 times. Ole Miss faces a must win next week when New Mexico State comes to Oxford, MS. Florida faces a tough Missouri secondary next week, captained by power linebacker, Kentrell Brothers. Expect Grier to throw for shorter gains against a good MIZZOU defense.

   

   Ole Miss’ defense was no match for Florida QB, Will Grier (7), who threw 4 TDs and spread the wealth(Kim Klement/USA Today)

4. #13 Alabama Defense Key In Rout of No. 8 Georgia: It is hard to imagine Alabama as a 2 point underdog against SEC rival Georgia. The Crimson Tide’s defense proved to be key in a 38-10 rout over the Bulldogs. Alabama’s defense “Roll Tided” all over Georgia quarterbacks, holding them to a combined passing yards of 106. The Crimson Tide’s junior defensive back, Eddie Jackson, picked off Georgia backup quarterback, Brice Ramsey, less than 2 minutes into the second half, and ran 50 yards untouched into the end zone. Not many defensive linemen could run half the football field for a touchdown. Also, Crimson Tide running back, Derrick Henry, rushed for almost 150 yards and a TD in the victory. Up next for now #8 Alabama is a favorable SEC West matchup against Arkansas. Georgia travels to Neyland Stadium to take on Tennessee.
5. No. 19 Wisconsin Turns the Ball Over 4 Times, Upset By Iowa: Desmond King and the Iowa defense showed Wisconsin what playing with guts felt like. The junior defensive back picked off Badgers’ Joel Stave twice in the Hawkeye’s 10-6 win in Madison, WC. Iowa power back,Jordan Canzeri, rushed for 125 yards. Stave lost two fumbles in the loss. This was the first time Iowa did not score in the second half, since defeating Minnesota 21-16, in 2007. The win earned the Hawkeye’s the Heartland Trophy, presented to the winner of the annual Wisconsin-Iowa game. The victory could shift the balance of power in the Big 10 West standings. Next up for the now no. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes is Illinois. Both teams have conference wins. Wisconsin travels to Lincoln to take on Nebraska.

   

   Iowa’s Desmond King (14) recorded two picks to lead the Hawkeyes to their first Heartland Trophy since 2009. (Byron Houlgrave/The Register)

Big Games to Watch For:

6. #13 Northwestern at #18 Michigan Saturday (3:30): This Big 10 matchup is quite an interesting one on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats rank tenth in the nation passing defense, allowing an average of 130 yards per game. However, Northwestern will be without standout safety Kyle Queiro, as he is deemed out for the season with a broken arm. Michigan will have to rely on their power back, De’Veon Smith to carry the load. Expect a grind-it-out kind of game involving two good passing offenses and solid defenses.

7. #23 California at #5 Utah Saturday (10:00): Who would have thought that the Utes would have claimed Oregon’s spot in the AP Top 25 Rankings! By the way, Oregon is not ranked because of a 62-20 loss to Utah back in week 4. Utah’s power running back, Devontae Booker is carrying his team by rushing for over 100 yards every home game. California ranks below the top 20 in total rushing yards allowed this season. This is good news for Booker and his offensive linemen, who are the reason their star running back finds holes in defenses. The Utes’ defense faces a tough task in forcing Cal’s QB, Jared Goff, out of the pocket. Goff threw for over 320 yards against a mediocre Washington State defense last week. Both teams are undefeated, adding more emphasis to obtaining the win. Expect Cal’s defense to step up against Booker and the Utes’ awesome running game.

8. #21 Oklahoma State at West Virginia Saturday (7:00): This is a must win game for both teams. OSU barely defeated Kansas State last week, 36-34, dropping them from no. 20 to no.21. This seems like nothing, but if the Cowboys loose to the Mountaineers, they could drop their AP Top 25 Ranking to their opponent, West Virginia. It helps that Oklahoma State has 2 Big 12 wins under their belt. The stakes are high for Cowboys’ quarterback, Mason Rudolph, who is going up against a top 30 passing defense in the Mountaineers. OSU’s defense is facing Skyler Howard, the Mountaineers QB, who averages above 230 yards  per game. The bad news for him is that Cowboys’ star defensive end, Emmanuel Ogbah ranks 6th in the nation in sacks(6.0 per game). Expect Ogbah and the Oklahoma State defense to put pressure on Howard.

West Vriginia’s QB, Skyler Howard, has to pray his offensive line can protect him from Oklahoma State’s Emmanuel Ogbah (38). (Sue Ogrockie-AP)

9. Favorable Matchup:

 Ezekiel Elliot(#1 Ohio State) vs. Maryland Defensive Line: Ohio State’s power back,Ezekiel Elliot, ranks in the top 10 in the nation in average rushing yard per play(7.3 yds.) and has rushed for over 100 yards each week. The Terrapins’ rushing defense will have try to limit the Buckeyes’ running back to less than 100. Maryland’s rushing defense ranks 110th out of 128 FBS teams, allowing opposing backs almost 200 yards per game. This is music to Ohio State coach, Urban Meyer’s, ears. He likes to integrate Braxton Miller in as a halfback, too. Double trouble for the Terps!

10. Unfavorable Matchup:

Matt Johns(Virginia) vs. Pittsburgh Defense: Notice how I said Pitt defense as a whole, not an individual position. Pittsburgh brings in a top notch defense in this ACC Coastal matchup. The Panthers rank 12th in the nation allowing 690 passing yards through 4 games and average 172.5 yards per game. The Steel City averages 4.25 sacks per game, ranking 2nd in the nation. Virginia’s quarterback, Matt Johns, will have to handoff the rock to Taquan Mizzell, the junior halfback, who is yet to score a touchdown. But the Panthers are not all about defense. Redshirt freshman running back, Qadree Ollison, ran for 122 yards and a TD against Virginia Tech, after last year’s ACC Player of the Year, James Conner, tore his MCL in week 1 action. Expect Pitt’s defense to force turnovers on a below average Virginia team.

Virginia’s defense will have its hands full trying to bring down Pitt’s freshman back, Qadree Ollison (37). (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)