College Football Wrap-Up: Week 6

Saturday was a great example of why I love college football! You couldn't have asked for a more action-packed day as 11 of the Top 19 teams lost.  The action began on Thursday night as Oregon was upset at home to Arizona, and it didn't end until the early morning hours on Sunday when Utah handed UCLA their first loss of the season.  More on that later, but first let's take a look at the Dawgs.

Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports 

Georgia raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, and cruised to a 44-17 victory at home versus Vanderbilt. Todd Gurley once again led the way with 163 yards rushing and two TDs. Oh yeah, and he also managed to complete the longest pass of the season when he connected with Jeb Blazevich for 50 yards in the first half.  Is there anything Superman can't do?



Here are some other observations on the game:

• Overall, I was pleased with the defense.  They limited Vandy to 2 out of 13 on 3rd down conversions and the game was well in hand when Vandy scored their 2nd touchdown of the game in the 4th quarter.
• It was nice to see Bowman stay at home and make a good break on his pick six. We absolutely need to create more turnovers on defense to give us a better chance of success against the better teams we have left on the schedule.
• I thought it was interesting that Brice Ramsey saw action in the first half.  Coach Richt has indicated that he may continue to play both QBs. I believe it's a good idea simply because it gives Ramsey some good game experience prior to next season when he will be the likely starter.
• I'm glad Richt & Bobo have decided to continue utilizing the wildcat formation even without the injured Sony Michel. Now that Gurley had success passing out of that formation, it will give defensive coordinators something to think about when they see Gurley lined up in that formation down the road.
• It was nice to see Malcolm Mitchell playing again. He had a very limited number of snaps but hopefully he can stay healthy and begin making a difference soon. It was also nice to see Mason air out to Mitchell, even if it wasn't completed.
• Gurley passed Lars Tate as 3rd on the list for all-time rushing yards in UGA history.  He now has 3,147 career rushing yards. He only needs 86 yards to pass Garrison Hearst and become the 2nd all-time leading rusher. Gurley is truly having a remarkable season. He leads the SEC in rushing with 773 yards and he's still averaging over 8 yards per carry.

Around the SEC

Alabama at Ole Miss
The Rebels defense played remarkably well and Bo Wallace played mistake free in arguably the biggest game ever played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.  Ole Miss snapped a 10 game losing streak to Alabama with a 23-17 victory over the Crimson Tide.  The Rebels are 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 1962. Now can they maintain their momentum? They travel to Texas A&M this weekend. It will be a tough night game in a hostile environment against an Aggie team that's hungry for redemption.

Photo Credit: Jeronimo Nisa/Decatur Daily

Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Dak Prescott accounted for 5 TDs and Mississippi State cruised to a big victory over Texas A&M 48-31.  The Bulldogs led 48-17 late into the 4th quarter so the final score is misleading. Prescott is the possibly the best dual-threat QB in the country and, if he can continue to lead his team to victories, then he will certainly have an opportunity to win the Heisman Trophy.

LSU at Auburn
Auburn played their most complete game of the season and dominated LSU in their 41-7 blowout victory. LSU could only muster 13 first downs and 280 yards of offense. The Bayou Bengals might be in store for one of their worst seasons in quite some time. They're currently 0-2 in the SEC and their remaining schedule is difficult with road trips to Florida, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. Their remaining home games are against a quickly improving Kentucky squad, Ole Miss, and Alabama.

Florida at Tennessee
Florida defeated Tennessee for the 10th straight time with a 10-9 victory in Knoxville. Butch Jones certainly must be very disappointed after his team could not manage to score a touchdown versus a Gator defense, coming off a horrible performance two weeks ago against Alabama.  The Gators mounted a 4th quarter comeback after replacing Jeff Driskel at QB with true freshman Treon Harris. Unfortunately for the Gators, the news about Harris wasn't so good on Monday.

South Carolina at Kentucky
Kentucky is now 4-1 on the season after defeating the Gamecocks on Saturday night. South Carolina appeared to be cruising to an easy victory when they jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. However, Dylan Thompson threw 3 interceptions, including a pick six late in the 4th quarter.  Most of the blame will be directed at Gamecock defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward after his defense was gashed by JoJo Kemp with Wildcat runs. What I can't understand is this:

In case you're wondering, Mike Davis' last touch of the game was a 13 yard run with 8:00 left.
— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) October 5, 2014

Mike Davis had 183 yards rushing (averaging 8 yards per carry) and they lead by 14 with less than 9 minutes remaining in the game yet Spurrier would not run the ball.  This is the 2nd game in a row that South Carolina has squandered a double digit lead late into the 4th quarter.  Kentucky is 4-1 and will have an opportunity to earn a bowl trip this season if they continue to play well.

Around the Nation

Arizona at Oregon
I was so relieved to see Arizona upset the Ducks on Thursday night. Every year the national media hypes Oregon and every year the Ducks lose a game they shouldn't lose.  That was Arizona's 3rd victory over a Top 5 Oregon team since 2007. Meanwhile, Arizona went from unranked in the AP Poll last week to the Top 10 this week.

Stanford at Notre Dame
Notre Dame survived at home 17-14 after scoring a touchdown on 4th and 11 with just over one minute remaining in the 4th quarter. The Fighting Irish have an improved defense under Brian VanGorder, but the rubber will meet the road when they have to travel to Florida State in two weeks.

Arizona State at Southern Cal
I'm not much of a Pac-12 fan but this was an exciting finish and I always enjoy seeing the Trojans get beat.



Nebraska at Michigan State
Michigan State led 27-3 over Nebraska heading into the 4th quarter and eventually held on for a 27-22 victory. The Huskers nearly mounted a comeback in front of an embarrassingly emptying stadium in the 4th quarter.  The Spartans shut down the Cornhuskers vaunted rushing attack and held Ameer Abdullah to only 45 yards on 24 carries. Nebraska plays a weak schedule, so I would imagine there's a good chance that there will be a rematch of this game in the Big 10 Championship game.

Utah at UCLA
Utah kicked a FG with 34 seconds remaining to defeat previously undefeated UCLA 30-28. The Bruins had an opportunity to kick the game winning field goal twice but missed a 55 yarder and then a 50 yarder, after a Utah penalty. UCLA was regarded as having one of the best offensive lines in the country prior to the season, but they surrendered 10 sacks on Saturday. Both teams are now 1-1 in Pac 12 play.

Oklahoma at TCU
Oklahoma had an 8 game winning streak coming into the game but lost to TCU 37-33.  This was a statement win for the Horned Frogs who play another highly ranked opponent next week when they face Baylor.  Meanwhile Oklahoma faces Texas next week in the Red River Rivalry.

Odds & Ends

• This past weekend was the first time in the history of the AP Poll that 5 out of the top 8 teams lost in the same week.
• Do you remember how well the 05' defense played for Georgia? That was Willie Martinez's first defense as coordinator. They were stout, but it was a result of having been coached and developed by Brian VanGorder.  I believe the we're seeing similar results for Louisville. Charlie Strong recruited and developed these players, but Todd Grantham is receiving the credit for their success. The Cardinals have the nation's #1 ranked total defense. Of course, they haven't played anyone in the Top 70 offensively. Louisville travels to Clemson on Saturday. Let's see how they fare against DeShaun Watson and company.
• I hate the hype that's associated with preseason football polls. I would prefer it if polls weren't even released until after week 4. Did you know that 5 of the teams ranked in the AP's preseason Top 15 already have 2 losses each?  That's the case after only 6 weeks of action.
• Two weeks ago Mississippi State was unranked.  Now they are third in the nation.
• I wonder how many Michigan fans would welcome back Rich Rod now? After the upset of the second ranked Ducks, Arizona is 5-0.  Michigan dropped to 2-4 on the season after their loss to Rutgers on Saturday.
• Georgia Tech is 5-0 and they've exercised demons this season with victories over Virginia Tech and Miami.  There's a good chance the Jackets will be 10-0 heading into the final two games of the regular season - versus Clemson and Georgia.

Georgia dismissed defensive back Shaq Jones on Sunday after he was arrested for shoplifting. It was refreshing to see this from a big Gator fan on Monday.

It's not ALWAYS about the W. Sometimes it's about discipline and becoming a man. Uv converted me, Coach Richt!
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) October 6, 2014

During the offseason, I went back and forth with USA Today college football writer Dan Wolken on Twitter. He claims that Georgia and Mark Richt have a discipline problem.  I explained to Wolken that the difference between Richt and many of his counterparts is that he actually does discipline his players. When was the last time Richt took in a player that had been dismissed at another SEC school (or any school for that matter)? Meanwhile, former Georgia players have recently landed at Auburn, LSU, Alabama, and Louisville. 

Looking Ahead for the Dawgs
Before the season started, I looked at this as a very dangerous two game stretch for Georgia. They must travel a long distance on back-to-back weekends to face Missouri and Arkansas. Not to mention, Missouri has had an extra week of preparation for Georgia. Georgia has struggled mightily in the secondary and now it looks like Missouri's starting WRs will return to action after missing their last game versus South Carolina. Florida, Missouri, and Georgia all control their own destiny in the SEC East.  This game will go a long way in determining the winner of the division. An 11:00 a.m. (local) start will hopefully help the Dawgs on offense. Defensively, it would be great to create some turnovers and on offense let's hope Mitchell and Scott-Wesley can make an impact.  Until next time...Go Dawgs!