Results of Last Week's Games to Watch
1. Baylor Bears @ #11 Oklahoma Sooners
Baylor as a football program has risen in recent years from Big 12 bottom dweller to national power. This meteoric rise is due in large part to the play of Heisman trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin III who is now an NFL quarterback. Equally important was the coaching of Art Briles, whose legacy, however, is now tainted by scandal. An instance of sexual abuse by one his players went unreported by Briles and certain members of his coaching staff a few years ago. When the truth was discovered and Briles' part in it was verified, the once respected coach was rightfully fired. His former team is now struggling on defense under their new head coach and are not putting up the points they need to win big games. And that's exactly what happened in this game.
After a suffering an terrible 62-22 defeat at home to TCU last week, the Bears had to travel to Oklahoma to battle a Sooners team that has been on a roll since two early season losses. Oklahoma put up double digits in every quarter, as quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Joe Mixon torched the Baylor defense. Thanks to 10 straight points in the 2nd quarter, Baylor only trailed by 11 at the half. But Baylor's hopes of keeping this game close were dashed when Baylor quarterback Seth Russell was tackled hard and suffered a severe dislocated ankle. As he was being carted off the field, the Baylor players started to believe that they would not win this game. Backup quarterback Zach Smith played admirably but the Baylor defense had absolutely no success stopping Mayfield and the Oklahoma offense.
Final Score: Oklahoma 45 Baylor 24
2. #20 USC Trojans @ #4 Washington Huskies
Undefeated and off to their best start in years, the Huskies were looking to take a big step towards a possible PAC 12 Championship with a win over the vaunted Trojans. Washington kicker Cameron Van Winkle and USC kicker Matt Boermeester traded field goals in the first quarter. The 2nd quarter was lopsided and not in the way the home crowd wanted it to be. On the Trojans' first possession of the 2nd quarter, quarterback Sam Darnold was on fire. He completed four passes on four attempts, the last of which was a 13 yard TD pass to wide receiver Darreus Rogers. Washington managed to get a field goal on their next drive, but Darnold was not done throwing accurate passes. Although slowed down by 3 incompletions, Darnold used a pair of long throws to receiver Daniel Imatorbhebhe to get the offense close to the endzone. Running back Ronald Jones Jr. ran it in for the touchdown to extend the Trojans lead to 11.
Halfway through the 3rd quarter, Washington quarterback Jake Browning lobbed a pass to wide receiver John Ross for an exciting 70 yard touchdown. The Huskies defense held the Trojans scoreless in the 3rd quarter, but would not be so successful in the 4th. At the end of a 9 play drive, Darnold fired a short pass to Daniel Imatorbhebhe for a touchdown. The stingy USC defense only allowed one first down after that and shut down any hopes of a Washington comeback. They even added a safety at the end of the game.
Final Score: USC 26 Washington 13
Most Exciting Game of the Week
Texas Tech Red Raiders @ #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys
In the Big 12 Conference, spread offenses light up the scoreboard week after week. Whether it is lack of defensive talent or poor coaching few can tell, but the fact remains that Big 12 defenses are unable to stop them most of the time. But considering that the conference mainly exists in territory once a part of the Old West, Texas and Oklahoma, maybe it's fitting to have a bevy of shootouts every year.
This time it would be the Red Raiders against the Cowboys! You could almost hear an outlaw yelling, "Get your pistols ready, boys! We're going to have ourselves a shootout!"
The Cowboys were led by the Sheriff, quarterback Mason Rudolph, and his deputy, running back Justice Hill. Rudolph, Hill, and the rest of their posse were set to do battle with the Red Raiders outlaw gang and their leader, quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Cowboys struck first as Rudolph passed for a touchdown and ran for another on consecutive drives. Mahomes and the Red Raiders fired back with an 11 play, 4 minute drive that ended with a TD scamper by Mahomes.
The next drive for each team resulted in a touchdown, bringing the score to a 21-14 Oklahoma State lead. On the ensuing drive, a 38 yard completion by Rudolph proved to be a great supplement to 3 carries by Hill for a total of 24 yards. On the final play of the drive, Hill busted into the endzone emphatically as if to say, "Justice will be done in this town, you outlaw varmits!"
However, the Red Raiders would not back down. They scored two more touchdowns in the next 9 minutes on a pair of touchdown passes by Mahomes. The game was tied at 28 at the half and the scoring was far from over.
Bullets in the form of footballs continued to be fired throughout the 3rd quarter. More bullets found their mark for the Cowboys than for the Red Raiders, allowing the Cowboys to build a 10 point lead going into the final quarter.
But then the Red Raider defense begin to clamp down on the Cowboys offense, not unlike the lawmen getting surrounded in a saloon by villainous outlaws. The Red Raiders were able to inch slowly closer to the Cowboys, tightening their siege of the saloon. The Red Raiders scored a field goal early in the 4th quarter and a touchdown with just over a minute left. The Red Raiders prepared to charge through the saloon doors into overtime for a final shootout.
But before I get ahead of myself, let me talk about the extra point attempt after the touchdown. The snap and hold were good but Texas Tech kicker Clayton Hatfield shanked it wide to the right. The Texas Tech offense stood with their mouths agape, stunned and disappointed at the miss of a routine extra point at the worst possible moment of the game.
This one point would be the difference. A bizarre ending to a wild shootout, kinda like a stray bullet bounced off something and killed an outlaw just before they were about to charge into the saloon. Clayton Hatfield is now about as loved on the Texas Tech campus as the Hatfield were by the McCoys.
Final Score: Oklahoma State 45 Texas Tech 44
Thank you for joining me on this trip into the Old West. Yee-haw!!
Top 2 Games to Watch: Week 12
1. #23 Washington State Cougars @ #12 Colorado Buffaloes: TBD
Will the Buffaloes defend their green pastures with a rousing defensive effort and the offense to match or will the Cougars extend their 8 game winning streak with a pivotal road upset?
My pick: Colorado
2. #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs: 11/19 at Noon on FS1
Will the Cowboys come away with another victory in a wild shootout or will their luck run out against the wily Horned Frogs?
My pick: TCU!!
My Top 6
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
No comment needed.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes have responded in the best way possible after their surprising loss to Penn State by winning games by a score of 62-3 in back-to-back weeks. Their jump from #5 to #2 is also due to the fact that former #2 Clemson, #3 Michigan, and #4 Washington all suffered upsets on Saturday.
3. Louisville Cardinals
Lamar Jackson, arguably the most dynamic quarterback in the nation, has led this team into the national spotlight. By virtue that their only loss was to highly ranked Clemson, while Clemson’s loss was to unranked Pittburgh, Louisville gets the slight edge.
I would like to see Jackson get a shot to eviscerate the Alabama defense in the playoffs, which I'll admit would be an amazing feat. But then again every Alabama loss in recent memory has come to a team with a dual-threat quarterback, so you never know.
4. Clemson Tigers
Clemson's loss to Pittburgh on Saturday was due in part to some absolutely horrendous penalty calls by the referees that went against the Tigers. The first was a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the continuation of a tackle that began before the whistle was blown. The second was for a pass interference penalty that the ref had no business in calling. These two penalties helped Pittsburgh to 14 points that I don't believe they would have gotten otherwise. Yes, some bad plays calls by the Clemson coaches also contributed to the loss, but that doesn't excuse the ridiculous antics of the men dressed like zebras. Thankfully, Clemson can still get to the ACC Championship Game with a win over Wake Forest on Saturday. If they win the ACC Championship Game they will almost assuredly be in the top 4.
5. Michigan Wolverines
Not too much has changed really for the Wolverines even though they fell out of the top 4. Beat Ohio State and they're in the playoffs.
6. Washington Huskies
Their loss to USC could be the undoing of their playoff chances unless Clemson or Louisville trip themselves up.
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