Ohio State was missing several key contributors, the majority of its starting offensive line, and its head coach. That didn't matter yesterday in East Lansing as the Buckeyes dominated Mel Tucker and the Spartans. Justin Fields was phenomenal, the makeshift offensive line was really good despite some bad snaps, and the defense took a big-time step in the right direction.
Overall, it was a promising performance from a team that's faced plenty of adversity over the last two weeks. While next week's game against Michigan appears to be in jeopardy, the No. 4 team in the country seems destined for another playoff berth regardless of whether or not it's able to play for a Big Ten title.
The Buckeyes moved to 5-0 and have one signature win on the season. That win got even better yesterday thanks to the Hoosiers' efforts on the road.
No. 12 Indiana 14, No. 16 Wisconsin 6
I'll be the first to admit it: I was expecting a double-digit Badger victory in Madison. Indiana has been one of the season's biggest surprises, but what will Tom Allen's team look like without star quarterback Michael Penix Jr.? Led by its stellar defense, the Hoosiers delivered with a 14-6 road win over the country's No. 16 team.
It wasn't the most exciting game as Jack Tuttle took over under center and Indiana put up just 217 yards of total offense. But the Utah transfer tossed a pair of touchdowns which were more than enough behind a stout defensive performance. Ty Fryfogle caught just one pass for 35 yards while Whop Philyor added four for 47 and a score. Jamar Johnson picked off Justin Fields twice a few weeks back. He added another pick on Saturday and cornerback Tiawan Mullen forced a crucial fumble when Wiscy had the ball in IU territory.
Graham Mertz was not good in this one. The first-year starter completed 20 of 34 passes for 202 yards and was plagued by a pair of turnovers. True freshman Jalen Berger continues to look like a future star as he rushed for 87 yards on 15 carries.
Tom Allen's players clearly love the guy, and that was pretty cool to see after the win. Indiana moves to 6-1 on the season with the lone loss coming in Columbus.
Indiana players had to hype up their coach up after upsetting No. 16 Wisconsin pic.twitter.com/ZGczU6ceLF
— ESPN (@espn) December 6, 2020
Penn State 23, Rutgers 7
The Nittany Lions seem to have found their footing a bit after an 0-5 start. The defense showed up in a big way in Piscataway holding Rutgers to just 205 yards and seven points. And James Franklin's ground game had its second-straight fine showing behind a pair of young tailbacks.
True freshman Keyvone Lee was the game's leading rusher with 95 yards on 17 attempts as the Florida native seems to have emerged as the go-to guy at tailback. Sophomore Devyn Ford was solid as well with 11 carries for 65 and a score. Sean Clifford was mostly fine hitting on 15 of 22 attempts for 133 yards passing with a touchdown and a pick.
There's not a whole lot to say about Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knights. Noah Vedral threw for 113 and a score and added another 56 with his legs. Bo Melton was on the receiving end of the team's lone touchdown. Rutgers gave Penn State its 900th win in school history which is good enough for ninth on the all-time college football wins list.
| TEAM | W-L | RANK | PREV. |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 5-0 | 1 | 1 |
| INDIANA | 6-1 | 2 | 2 |
| NORTHWESTERN | 5-1 | 3 | 3 |
| IOWA | 5-2 | 4 | 5 |
| WISCONSIN | 2-2 | 5 | 4 |
| MARYLAND | 2-2 | 6 | 7 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | 2-4 | 7 | 6 |
| MICHIGAN | 2-4 | 8 | 9 |
| MINNESOTA | 2-3 | 9 | 10 |
| NEBRASKA | 2-4 | 10 | 13 |
| PURDUE | 2-4 | 11 | 8 |
| PENN STATE | 2-5 | 12 | 14 |
| ILLINOIS | 2-4 | 13 | 11 |
| RUTGERS | 2-5 | 14 | 12 |
No. 5 Texas A&M 31, Auburn 20
I can't wait for people to act as though this was some huge signature win for the Aggies and how they should now be moved into the top four. Auburn led at the start of the fourth quarter before Texas A&M pulled away late to move to 7-1 on the season. Jimbo Fisher's lone loss came courtesy of a 52-24 drubbing against the Crimson Tide. But let's not kid ourselves. This is a bad 5-4 Auburn team that lost against South Carolina and would have lost to Arkansas had it not been for some horrendous officiating.
Kellen Mond had a big day accounting for three of the Aggie touchdowns. The senior threw for 196 yards with two scores and added 60 more and another touchdown in the ground game. The TAMU rushing attack was superb with 313 yards and two scores. Isaiah Spiller led the way with 120 on 12 carries while Devon Achane added 99 on nine. Tight end Jalen Wydermyer also delivered with eight catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Bo Nix had another Bo Nix type of game. The sophomore completed 15 of 23 passes for 144 yards, but he came through on the ground with 49 and two touchdowns; including one of the highlight-reel variety. True freshman Tank Bigsby was the Tigers' leading rusher with nine carries for 76 yards. He ripped off a 42-yarder to help Auburn take the lead in the third quarter, but the Aggie defense shut things down after the big play.
No. 6 Florida 31, Tennessee 19
It took about a quarter to get rolling, but Kyle Trask and the Gators didn't have a problem with a horrible Tennessee team. Trask added to his season stat line with 433 more yards and another four touchdowns. Kyle Pitts continues to put on a show as the country's best tight end hauled in seven passes for 128 yards. Kadarius Toney added 108 yards and a score while Trevon Grimes caught two touchdown passes of his own.
True freshman Harrison Bailey got the start for the Vols at quarterback. His touchdown strike to Eric Gray put the Vols up 7-3 midway through the second quarter, but Tennessee just didn't have enough firepower against Dan Mullen's offense. The Gator defense recorded five sacks on the afternoon.
And just like that, Florida has clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game.
No. 3 Clemson 45, Virginia Tech 10
The Tigers are very good. The Hokies are very bad. That's really the easiest way to break this one down. Trevor Lawrence threw for just 195 yards with a touchdown and a pick as the Clemson ground game did most of the work.
The Tigers ran for 238 yards and four touchdowns though there wasn't any one particular standout in the backfield. Travis Etienne ran for just 66 on 16 carries. Former walk-on Darien Rencher made the most of his lone carry with a 50-yard touchdown jaunt. Lawrence chipped in with 41 yards and two scores of his own. Cornell Powell had yet another big game with four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
The Tiger defense held Virginia Tech to 333 yards and forced three turnovers. Derion Kendrick's 66-yard scoop-and-score helped Clemson pull away in the second half. Virginia Tech running back Khalil Herbert was the team's best player on offense as he ran for 96 yards and a score.
No. 1 Alabama 55, LSU 17
Alabama's passing game is downright terrifying and DeVonta Smith might be the best player in America. Mac Jones hit on 20 of 28 pass attempts for 385 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those scores went to Smith and all he did was catch eight passes for 231 yards. Najee Harris ran for 145 yards and three more touchdowns; bringing his ridiculous season total up to 20.
Remember that time LSU won the national championship? It seems like that was a decade ago as the 2020 version continues to look absolutely awful. TJ Finley and Max Johnson again rotated under center. The duo combined to go 25 of 45 for 254 yards and a touchdown. Tailback John Emery Jr. ran for 79 yards and a score on seven carries. The Crimson Tide defense continues to improve after a rough start to the season.
No 18. Coastal Carolina 22, No. 13 BYU 17
It was Wednesday afternoon when two of the country's unbeatens agreed to face one another in Conway, South Carolina. And it turned out to be a great one between the Cougars and Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina took the lead early in the fourth quarter, but this one would come down to the final play. Heisman candidate Zach Wilson drove BYU down the field and connected with Dax Milne on the game's final play. Milne was brought down just two yards short of the goal line. What a game it was.
JUST. SHORT.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 6, 2020
Coastal Carolina stops BYU short of a game-winning TD pic.twitter.com/UEaJdm0Zah
Coastal Carolina used its ground game to move to 10-0 on the season. CJ Marable led the charge with 23 carries for 132 yards and a pair of scores. The Chanticleers ran it 54 times for 281 and found the end zone three times. Grayson McCall completed just 10 of 15 passes for 85 yards.
Wilson was really good again for the Cougars as he connected on 19 of 30 attempts for 240 yards with a touchdown and a pick. His late drive that gave BYU a chance for the win is one that NFL scouts will probably be watching closely. Milnd caught six passes for 106 and a touchdown. Tailback Tyler Allgeier dashed for 106 and a score on 13 carries.
A few other contests of note:
In the Big Ten, there were only two other games this weekend. No. 19 Iowa got down early against Illinois but stormed back for a 35-21 road win. Spencer Petras led the way with three touchdown passes. Nebraska got its second win of the season with a 37-27 victory in West Lafayette. Adrian Martinez returned to his freshman form with 287 total yards and three scores. David Bell hauled in 10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown for the Boilers.
Notre Dame had a sluggish start before taking down Syracuse with ease 45-21. The Orange were up 7-3 in the second quarter before the Irish scored 21 unanswered. Ian Book totaled 338 yards and five touchdowns as he continues to play at a high level. Javon McKinley had seven receptions for 111 yards and was on the receiving end of three touchdown passes.
Matt Campbell's Cyclones clinched a spot in the Big 12 title game with a 42-6 over West Virginia. Checking in at No. 9 in the country, Iowa State was led by Brock Purdy's three touchdown tosses and Breece Hall's 97 rushing yards. Campbell will face off against Lincoln Riley in Arlington in two weeks. The Cyclones beat the Sooners 37-30 back in October.
Washington was 3-0 heading into the weekend. That was until the Cardinal came to town and handed the No. 22 Huskies a 31-26 home loss. Oregon continued its slide with a second-straight loss; this time at California. Elsewhere in the Pac-12, you can tune in for the USC/Washington State matchup tonight at 7:30 p.m. This one got pushed back to allow Trojan players to return from COVID-19 quarantine protocols.
- Week's Best: Tom Allen, Indiana's defense, Greg Studrawa & Ohio State's offensive line, Florida's Kyles, Steve Sarkisian & the Alabama passing game
- Week's Worst: Paul Chryst, LSU's defense, the camera crew that did the Ohio State/Michigan State game, Coastal Carolina's cheap shots on BYU's star quarterback (LINK)
- Week's Wildest: DeVonta Smith is a pass-catching cyborg who probably should be the next Marvel villain.
DEVONTA SMITH IS RIDICULOUS pic.twitter.com/NhCkPJAccB
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 6, 2020
So, what's on the agenda for next weekend? It obviously starts with The Game that's set to go down in Columbus. We'll certainly be monitoring that one throughout the week as both teams have some COVID concerns. The Hoosiers will host the Boilermakers, Sparty travels to Happy Valley, and two of the West's best teams will square off as Wisconsin heads to Iowa.
That national landscape isn't all that appealing. Cincinnati could be in for a test on the road against a 6-1 ranked Tulsa team. No. 10 Miami will play host to Mack Brown and the No. 17 Tarheels. The Pacific Northwest's "Border War" will go down at Autzen Stadium when the Ducks welcome the Huskies.
How are your Big Ten rankings looking? It seems like the league's top three teams are pretty much set, but things get a bit tricky after that.
