College Football Weekend Recap: Nov 21, 2020

Each week we will have our recap of the weekend that was in college football. A quick look at the teams who impressed, the players who starred, some takeaways and final thoughts. A few big games and a few upsets highlighted the day. Here is our recap of the weekend that was in college football.

Teams That Impressed

Iowa State

We expected Iowa State to win a close game against Kansas State. Partly because Kansas State has played well this year, and partially because Iowa State just hasn’t blown teams out this year (except Kansas, who everyone seems to blow out). The Cyclones put on an excellent performance, dominating the Wildcats on the way to a 45 – 0 win.

The Cyclones offense was clicking on all cylinders Saturday. Iowa State had six first half possessions with five of them ending with a touchdown. They took their foot off the gas in the second half but still finished with 539 yards of offense at 7.8 yards per play. Breece Hall had another 100 yard game, picking up 135 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries. In addition to Hall’s excellent running, quarterback Brock Purdy played his most efficient game of the season, completing 16 of 20 passes for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception. With Purdy’s efficiency through the air and Hall chewing up yardage on the ground, Iowa State marched up and down the field. The only thing that slowed the offense down was the coaching staff deciding to let up and get some younger players game reps.

Defensively, Iowa State was even better than they were on offense. Kansas State actually marched down the field 62 yards on their first possession of the game but the Cyclones defense stepped up and made a goal-line stand forcing a turnover on downs. That was the only time Kansas State’s offense came close to scoring. The Wildcats offense did not manage another drive that gained more than 28 yards the rest of the game. In fact, seven of Kansas State’s twelve drives gained less than ten yards. For the game, Iowa State held the Wildcats to nine first downs and just 149 yards of offense, 76 passing and 73 rushing. Defensive end, Will McDonald was a menace, picking up 2.5 tackles for loss including a sack and forcing 2 fumbles in the game. Kansas State had one chance to score, Iowa State was able to make the stop, and suffocated the Wildcats’ offense the rest of the game.

Iowa State is on the doorstep of the Big 12 championship game. With two games remaining the Cyclones are in sole possession of first place. Neither Texas nor West Virginia will be an easy win, but Iowa State will look to ride the momentum of their impressive performance on Saturday.

Oklahoma

Bedlam 2020 was a very one sided affair. The Sooners dominated the game from start to finish winning 41 – 13 in a game that was more one sided than the score indicated. Oklahoma State fans had little to cheer about as their team never got within 14 points after Oklahoma scored on their first two possessions.

Oklahoma scored on their first five possessions of the game, getting three touchdowns and two field goals to take a 27 – 7 lead. The Sooners fell into a bit of a lull for a quarter and a half, but closed the game strong with two touchdowns on their last two possessions before running the clock out to end the game. Lincoln Riley’s offense was efficient and diverse, showing the ability to beat a defense with many weapons and in many different ways. Spencer Rattler played an excellent game throwing for 301 yards and four touchdowns without turning the ball over. He spread the ball around to his weapons, with five receivers going over 30 yards receiving and three different players catching touchdowns. On the ground, Rhamondre Stevenson wore down the defense with his powerful running and finished the game with 141 rushing yards. Despite not scoring for a quarter and a half in the middle of the game, Oklahoma scored 41 points in a game where they were milking the clock in the fourth quarter.

The biggest improvement for Oklahoma has been on the defensive side of the ball. It helped that Spencer Sanders left the game with an injury, but the dominant effort by the Sooners’ defense cannot be ignored. It’s not a coincidence that Oklahoma has been playing better since Ronnie Perkins returned to the lineup after serving his suspension. He has been a disruptive force since returning, making everyone else’s job that much easier. Perkins was again a game wrecker from his defensive end position, making 5 tackles with 3 tackles for loss and two sacks. He set the tone for a defensive front that recorded four sacks and pestered the Oklahoma State quarterbacks throughout the game. Sanders was knocked out of the game but was not effective in the limited time he did play. The Sooners also held Chuba Hubbard to 44 rushing yards on 8 carries and Tylan Wallace to 68 yards receiving on 4 catches. Without big plays from their stars, the Cowboys had little hope on offense.

Oklahoma has bounced back from a tough start to the conference schedule to put themselves in position to make the Big 12 championship game. The Oklahoma team we saw on Saturday will be a tough match-up for anyone in that game.

Stars From The Weekend

QB – JT Daniels, Georgia

JT Daniels made his long awaited debut for the Bulldogs and did not disappoint. Georgia has struggled with inconsistent play all season, but appears to have found the solution in Daniels. Against Mississippi State, Daniels completed 28 of 38 passes for 401 yards and 4 touchdowns without an interception. Even with the running game struggling, Daniels was able to convert third downs and move the offense down the field. Most importantly he was able to make the big plays when his team needed him the most. With the game tied at 24, facing a third and 20 at the Mississippi State 40, Daniels delivered his biggest throw of the game. He found an open Kearis Jackson, who had gotten behind the defense (on third and 20!) for the go ahead touchdown. Daniels’ play was the number one reason Georgia pulled out the win against Mississippi State and will be the key to the team’s success going forward.

RB – Jaret Patterson – Buffalo

Jaret Patterson was dominant against Bowling Green last Tuesday. While Bowling Green is not high level competition, Patterson was too good to overlook on this list. He ran the ball 31 times for 301 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. He accounted for 64 percent of his team’s 470 yards of offense. Bowling Green knew what was coming and simply could not do anything to slow him down. Averaging 9.7 yards per carry, he was nearly picking up a first down on each carry. Patterson had a solid 210 yards and 4 touchdowns in his first two games of 2020, but outperformed both of those numbers in this game and set the bar extremely high for himself the rest of the season.

WR – Ty Fryfogle, Indiana

Fryfogle has been tearing through Big Ten secondaries this season. Indiana played possibly it’s biggest game of the season on Saturday and despite the loss, Fryfogle made a huge impact again. Against the Buckeyes, he made 7 catches for 218 yards and 3 touchdowns, scoring from 63, 56 and 33 yards out. Fryfogle got behind the secondary to take advantage of blown assignments in the secondary and also won one on one matchups on jump balls to make a big play for his quarterback. He has good hands, strength and speed making him a mismatch one on one against most college cornerbacks. Fryfogle has been playing the best football of his career this season and Saturday was just another strong showing in a series of them for the talented receiver.

LB – Nephi Sewell, Utah

Utah lost a lot of talent from last year’s team. With a shortened spring and a miniature season for the Utes it will be difficult to gauge how good the team is. Sewell quickly emerged as a playmaker for the defense in the first game of the season. He was everywhere on defense making 10 tackles with 2 tackles for loss, an interception, and a fumble recovery which he returned 23 yards for a touchdown. Sewell was fast to the football and showed good tackling ability and playmaking ability once he got there. He kept the Utes in the game with his big plays but unfortunately the offense was not able to help Sewell and the defense out as USC pulled away for a 33 – 17 win.

Darrian Beavers – LB, Cincinnati

Cincinnati has played better defensively for most of the season than they did Saturday against UCF. Darrian Beavers, however, was on top of his game. The linebacker was a regular in the UCF backfield, creating negative plays throughout the game. He finished the game with 12 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Beavers has been coming on in recent weeks and appears to be coming into his own as a playmaker for a Bearcats’ defense that is full of stars. Cincinnati is in excellent position to win the AAC Championship this year, Beavers and the other stars on Cincinnati’s defense are a big reason why.

Northwestern‘s Defense Dominates Wisconsin

Nebraska and Wisconsin have made a habit of playing tough physical games over the past decade. Saturday was no different, but it was not the favored Wisconsin team that emerged from the battle victorious. Northwestern played a clean game offensively and followed the lead of their dominant defense to win the game and take control of the Big Ten West division.

The Wildcats were able to get pressure on redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz and force him into mistakes. They sacked Mertz three times, forced a fumble on one of the sacks, registered 7 more quarterback hurries and intercepted 3 passes. Mertz was clearly uncomfortable and did not have the rhythm he showed earlier in the season. Northwestern was able to eliminate most of the big plays and force Wisconsin to move the ball down the field methodically, whenever the Badgers made a mistake, Northwestern capitalized and converted the turnover. Linebackers Blake Gallagher, Paddy Fisher and Chris Bergin racked up 34 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and forced 2 fumbles. They have been the best linebacker group in the Big Ten this season and are the heart of the Wildcats’ defense. Defensive back, Brandon Joseph intercepted two more passes bringing his season total to five. Northwestern continues to dominate defensively and will be a tough match-up for any offense.

Northwestern is 5 – 0 and holds a commanding lead in the Big Ten West. With the win over Wisconsin, the Wildcats are in complete control of the division holding at least a two game lead over everyone in the division, considering they have the tie breaker against Wisconsin, Iowa and Purdue. This has been a bounce back season for Northwestern after a 3 – 9 season in 2019. They are on track to make their second appearance in the Big Ten Championship game in three years.

Alabama‘s Offense Is Unstoppable

Alabama hadn’t played since Halloween, but they reminded the country why their offense is so scary. The Crimson Tide topped the 60 point mark for the second time this season in their 63 – 3 dismantling of Kentucky.

Alabama has scored at least 38 points in every game this season, dominating offensively every game this year. Of Alabama’s 12 possessions against Kentucky, 9 resulted in touchdowns, with 1 interception and 2 punts mixed in. The offense showed all of it’s talented weapons on Saturday. Quarterback Mac Jones was solid completing 16 of 24 passes for 230 yards with 2 Touchdowns and the 1 interception. Najee Harris ran 13 times for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns before giving way to younger players like Jase McClellan who ran for 99 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Devonta Smith caught 9 passes for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns before calling it a day early in the blowout win. The offensive line was dominant again, paving open running lanes for the backs while keeping Jones from getting sacked in the game. This would all sound very impressive, if Alabama did not do it every week. Regardless of opponent, the Crimson Tide dominate offensively and have proven that if you want to beat them, you will have to outscore them.

This is not a slight at the Alabama defense. They played excellent on Saturday as well, but they have shown weaknesses at times this season. The offense on the other hand is dominating all challengers and appears to be unstoppable. Alabama averages 49.4 points per game and 548.6 yards per game, both ranking in the top 6 nationally. The Crimson Tide have proven they can beat teams through the air and on the ground, making it difficult for defensive coordinators to come up with an effective gameplan. No one has been effective in slowing down Alabama’s offense this season. Anything can happen, but Alabama’s offense looks primed to lead the team to a National Championship in 2020.

Closing Stats

• Mississippi State held Georgia to 8 rushing yards on 23 carries (0.3 yards per carry).

• Ohio State held Indiana to -1 rushing yards on 16 carries (-0.1 yards per carry).

• Indiana passed for 491 yards against Ohio State.

• Ohio State had 607 yards of offense against Indiana (301 passing, 306 rushing).

• Wisconsin held Northwestern to 24 rushing yards on 23 carries (1 yard per carry).

• Louisville held Syracuse to 45 passing yards on 16 attempts (2.8 yards per attempt).

• Louisville only allowed 7 first downs against Syracuse.

• Louisville held Syracuse to 137 yards of offense.

• Alabama held Kentucky to 179 yards of offense.

• Alabama held Kentucky to just 59 rushing yards on 32 carries (1.8 yards per carry).

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Nakia Watson UW Badgers vs UM Wolverines Image taken by Bely Medved is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.