College Football Weekend Recap: Oct 17, 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 takeaway and final thoughts. We had some upsets again this week but the top two teams in the country remained unbeaten. Here is our recap of the weekend that was in college football.

Georgia vs Alabama Takeaways

The highly anticipated contest featured two of the best teams in the country. In the end, the game followed a similar script to the last few meetings between the two teams. Georgia built a halftime lead, but Alabama made the adjustments in the second half and came away with the victory, 41 – 24.

Both teams have a ton of talent but it was apparent there was a big difference between the two teams at the quarterback position. This game is where Georgia needs a JT Daniels (or a Jamie Newman, for that matter). Stetson Bennett gets the job done when Georgia is the more talented team, he plays smart and avoids the mistakes that would cost his team the game. On Saturday night, Georgia was not the more talented team, they needed their quarterback to make plays to match Alabama’s Mac Jones and Bennett was not up to the task. He completed just 18 of 40 pass attempts, for 269 yards with two touchdowns but also three interceptions. For Georgia to win a potential re-match this year they will need better play at the quarterback position.

Another issue for Georgia in this game was their surprising lack of willingness to run the ball. The Bulldogs offensive line was winning at the point of attack and Georgia averaged 4.8 yards per carry running the ball, but only ran the ball 30 times compared to 40 pass attempts in the game. The strength of the offense is the running game and it was working but for some reason, the Bulldogs ended up throwing the ball more than they ran it, this led to a couple of key interceptions that allowed Alabama to pull away, rather than Georgia continuing to wear down the Alabama defense.

On the Alabama side of things this game was what we expected to see from the Crimson Tide. Georgia did a good job against the Alabama offense for stretches but in the end, the big play capability and the good field position created by the three interceptions were too much. Alabama scored a touchdown after all three Stetson Bennett interceptions set the Tide up near midfield. There may not have been as many big plays as usual, but two Alabama touchdowns came courtesy of the big plays this offense has become accustomed to. John Metchie hauled in a 40 yard touchdown pass deep to open the scoring and the always explosive Jaylen Waddle made a 90 yard touchdown catch in the third quarter to put Alabama ahead for good. Big plays and good field position are a recipe for success on offense, Alabama had enough of both on Saturday night.

There is probably going to be a rematch of this game at some point later this season. Between now and then, Georgia needs to solve the issues that plagued them this game to flip the script against Alabama. The Crimson Tide have had a formula for fighting off the Bulldogs the past several seasons and will look to continue that trend going forward.

Teams That Impressed

Clemson

Clemson could really be on this list every week this season. The route of Georgia Tech this weekend was something else entirely. The Yellow Jackets are in no way Clemson’s equal, but the Tigers treated them like a cupcake used to fill out the schedule en route to a 73 – 7 win.

The Tigers defense got beat deep for an early touchdown but clamped down on Georgia Tech’s passing game. They held the Yellow Jackets to 81 passing yards with 59 of them coming on the one early touchdown pass. Clemson only allowed 204 yards for the game and forced seven turnovers along the way, they recovered three fumbles, intercepted a pass and forced a turnover on downs three times in the game. The Tigers set up camp in the backfield making twelve tackles for loss in the game. Defensive tackle Tyler Davis is among the best in the country at his position and led the way upfront in the early going. As the game wore on Clemson rotated in their depth but the results were the same, Georgia Tech scored once early but never really threatened the rest of the game.

The offense had a couple of turnovers early but scored at will with the starters in the game, taking a 52 – 7 lead into the half. Georgia Tech did manage to slow down Travis Etienne but had no answer for the Clemson passing game. Heisman candidate Trevor Lawrence passed for over 400 yards and 5 TD before leaving the game one drive into the third quarter. Clemson would play three more players at quarterback in the game including a second string punter but still managed another 21 points. Amari Rodgers led the way at receiver with 6 catches for 161 yards and 2 TD, but the entire receiver room was able to get into the act with 17 different players catching a pass and 6 different players catching a touchdown. Clemson ran up 671 yards of offense despite playing their reserves for a majority of the second half. The Tigers were dominant and there was nothing Georgia Tech could do to stop them.

The result of the game was not a surprise but the margin of victory was indicative of the gap between Clemson and the rest of the ACC. The TIgers have built a roster that is far superior to anyone else in the conference, including Notre Dame, and would have to play very poorly to lose in conference. Once again, the Tigers will use the conference slate to fine tune their team and build depth for the College Football Playoff.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M repeats on this list but for completely different reasons. While the Florida Game was about the offense and the ability to bounce back from a tough loss, this week the Aggies showed they can win with defense and maintain their focus after a big win. Though a 28 – 14 win over Mississippi State does not sound too impressive, the game was not that close and Texas A&M continued to revitalize their season.

So much of college football is momentum and focus. Good teams can lose site of the target during a long season and slip up against teams they should beat. Texas A&M was coming off a big win over Florida heading into a game with struggling Mississippi State before the bye week. They could have overlooked the Bulldogs and been looking ahead to the off week, but the Aggies were focused and methodically dominated on their way to a win. Isaiah Spiller led a strong rushing attack with 18 carries for 114 yards and 2 TDs and set the tone for the offense with his strong running. The Aggies averaged 5.5 yards per carry as a team and ran the ball 34 times against just 23 pass attempts. They were able to control the clock with the rushing attack and limited the number of possessions in the game.

The A&M defense was exceptional, limiting what the Bulldogs did with those possessions. Mississippi State scored 14 points in the game but only seven of them were scored on offense. Those seven points came on the second to last possession of the game with the Aggies already ahead 28 – 7. Texas A&M limited Mississippi State to 217 yards for the game, with 219 of those coming in the passing game and -2 of them coming on the ground. That is less than half of the 442 yards per game Mississippi State had been averaging coming into the game. Texas A&M had 6 sacks and added another 5 quarterback hurries, harassing the Mississippi State quarterbacks and not allowing the Bulldogs to get into sync offensively. This was an excellent performance for a unit that had given up a lot of points the last two games, showing progress they can build on going forward.

Texas A&M backed up a big win over Florida with a steady performance against Mississippi State. The defense was the story allowing just one score after the game was already decided. The last two weeks A&M showed they can win in a shootout or behind a strong performance from their defense. That’s a good sign for a team trying to climb in the SEC.

Stars From The Weekend

RB – Leddie Brown, West Virginia

Brown put on a show against Kansas this Saturday. He was dominant in the running game, carrying the ball 18 times for 195 yards and a touchdown, then also mixed in 5 catches for another 36 yards and a receiving touchdown. Brown ran with power, breaking tackles and punishing the Kansas defense all game but also showed off his big play ability on his long touchdown run when he side stepped a tackler, accelerated through the hole and ran away from the defense for the score. Brown has been a consistent threat for the Mountaineers offense all season and Saturday was just another example of what the talented tailback can do.

QB – Mac Jones – Alabama

Mac Jones has elevated his game to a new level in 2020. We bumped him way up in our QB rankings, but Jones may not be done climbing. Alabama has a ton of weapons, so it was important to see if Jones could perform against a defense with the talent to match up with those weapons. There are few if any defenses in the country with as much talent as Georgia and Jones had a banner day against the Bulldogs on Saturday. He completed 24 of 32 passes for 417 yards with 4 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Jones showed his accuracy on a beautiful touchdown pass to John Metchie to kickoff the scoring and did not slow down over the course of the game. Georgia sacked him three times, hurried him three times and were able to get several hits on Jones, but he stood in and kept delivering big throws to lead his team to a huge win. This was the most impressive performance of Jones’ career because of how successful he was and who he did it against.

WR – Dax Milne, BYU

Dax Milne stepped up in a big way for the Cougars who lost receiver Gunner Romney to injury. Milne scored on a nice catch and run on a deep throw from Zach Wilson on BYU’s first play of the game and continued to perform all night. Milne finished with 9 catches for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns as well as a run for three yards. He got deep several times against the Houston secondary, scoring on two long passes and getting down to the one on another. He was also effective after the catch on screen passes and scored from the one yard line after his long catch had gotten the ball to the one. Milne has been a productive receiver for BYU all season, but shined with the added responsibility due to the absence of Romney.

CB – Jaycee Horn, South Carolina

South Carolina went on the road and beat Auburn this weekend, with Jaycee Horn playing a key role in the victory. The Gamecocks’ defensive back had never intercepted a pass in his college career before Saturday but he made up for lost time against Auburn. Horn made his first interception of his career early in the second quarter with the Gamecocks down 9, he broke on a late pass by Bo Nix and made the interception give South Carolina the ball inside the Auburn 35. Horn had so much fun, he decided to do it again. Late in the third quarter with South Carolina up 20 – 19 he was in man coverage on the outiside with star receiver Seth Williams, the ball was off target and Horn reacted quickly making the nice interception and returning it inside the Auburn 10 yard line. Horn finished the game with 3 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups to his credit, and announced himself to the college football world.

DE – Quincy Roche, Miami

Roche is one of the best defensive ends in the country, checking in at #3 on our list. Saturday he showed why we hold him in such high regard. Roche was a menace in the Pittsburgh backfield on Saturday, stopping running plays and getting after the passer. He recorded 7 tackles with four tackles for loss including half a sack, a fumble forced, a fumble recovered and a quarterback hurry. One of the highlight plays for Roche came in the third quarter with the Hurricanes holding on to a five point lead. Roche and fellow defensive end Jaelan Phillips met at the quarterback, as they brought him down, Roche ripped the ball away forcing a fumble and recovering it for the Hurricanes. Roche has played well week in and week out and this Saturday was no exception.

LB – Grant Morgan – Arkansas

Morgan played a key role for the Razorbacks as they slowed down the explosive Mississippi offense on the way to a 33 – 21 victory. Morgan was all over the field Saturday, making 19 tackles, 3 tackles for loss including a sack, an interception he returned for a touchdown, and 2 pass breakups. His interception came late in the fourth quarter with the Razorbacks leading 26 – 21, he dropped into coverage underneath the route, read the quarterback’s eyes and jumped in the passing lane to make the interception then return it for a score. Morgan was a regular in Mississippi backfield and had his name called repeatedly during the big win.

Other Takeaways From The Weekend

Miami bounced back from their loss against Clemson with a solid yet unspectacular win over Pittsburgh. This was a big step for a Hurricanes team that has allowed a loss in a big game to derail their season in recent years. Miami played solid defense particularly against the run, and followed the lead of the aforementioned Quincy Roche to disrupt the Pittsburgh offense. D’Eriq King and the offense did not have their best performance but still finished the game with 31 points and a double digit victory. They were reliant on the big plays but were able to dial them up at the right time, scoring two long touchdowns on practically the same play. The Hurricanes needed to get back in the win column to keep their rebuild on track and they pulled out a gritty win against a tough opponent.

As for Pittsburgh, this game was more of the same thing we have seen the past few weeks. The defense is excellent up front and does a good job of stuffing the run and pressuring the quarterback, but the back end has too many breakdowns and is susceptible to big plays. The offense played an up and down game without any consistent rhythm and scored far fewer points than they could have. Sure enough on Saturday, Pittsburgh’s front was in the backfield repeatedly making 15 tackles for loss and sacking D’Eriq King 4 times. They kept the Miami passing game off balance and intercepted two passes returning one for touchdown. They limited Miami to 2.6 yards per carry on the ground and generally contained the Hurricanes offense, except for the breakdowns that led to the three long touchdown passes. The offense made plays at times, particularly to star freshman Jordan Addison but they were unable to run the ball and dropped too many passes to be consistent in the passing game. The offense may need some time especially without starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, but the defense needs to clean up the miscues that lead to breakdowns in coverage and easy points for the opposition. With Notre Dame coming to town next weekend, it would be a good time for Pittsburgh to get the coverage gaffes fixed.

The Kentucky / Tennessee game was relatively even in terms of yardage (294 – 287), first downs (18 – 18) and total plays (61 – 67). But the score was a lopsided 34 – 7 in favor of the Wildcats due to the big discrepancy in turnovers. Kentucky lost one fumble for the game, Tennessee on the other hand , lost a fumble and threw three interceptions, will all four turnovers coming on consecutive possessions leading to a 17 – 0 Kentucky lead. Tennessee was able to run the ball effectively with Eric Gray and Ty Chandler but the passing game was horrible. Earlier in the year we praised Jarrett Guarantano for avoiding the mistakes that had plagued him in the past, unfortunately we spoke too soon. He threw two interceptions in his 21 pass attempts while only passing for 88 yards. This comes on the heels of the Georgia game where Guarantano also threw an interception and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. His yards per attempt are down the last two weeks and the turnovers are up. It may not be time for a change yet, but the question remains if the quarterback is going to make mistakes why not let a younger player make those mistakes and learn from them?

UCF and Memphis gave us the shootout we expected Saturday with some late drama sprinkled on top. The Golden Knights jumped out to a solid lead but the Tigers roared back and came away with a 50 – 49 victory in one of the most entertaining games of the day. Both teams are known for their explosive offense and both were true to their reputation. The two teams marched up and down the field behind the strong play of their quarterbacks and combined for over 1,500 yards of total offense. UCF’s Dillon Gabriel passed for 601 yards and 5 touchdowns while Memphis’ Brady White totaled 486 passing yards and 6 touchdowns. In the end, a Memphis touchdown with 1:08 left put the Tigers ahead and UCF missed a 40 yard field goal attempt with 19 seconds on the clock to effectively end the game. The defensive coaches probably don’t want to watch the film again, but this game was an entertaining display of offense for college football fans across the country.

Marshall had a couple of weeks off after the big win over Appalachian State and have picked up right where they left off. The soundly beat a Louisiana Tech team that had been 3 – 1 coming into the game. The Thundering Herd are quietly 4 – 0 behind a strong defense and an offense that features a good run game and the quickly emerging Grant Wells at quarterback. Wells was sharp again this weekend completing 19 of 24 passes for 227 with 2 touchdowns and an interception. The redshirt freshman has been poised and accurate all season and Saturday was no different. The running game was strong picking up 175 yards on the ground and the run defense was better allowing just 7 rushing yards. The Thundering Herd have a gotten through half of their schedule unscathed and have the quarterback, running back and defense to win the rest of the games on their schedule in 2020.

Closing Stats

• Clemson held Georgia Tech to 7 first downs in the game.

• Clemson had 671 yards of offense against Georgia Tech.

• Clemson has 12 tackles for loss against Georgia Tech.

• Pittsburgh made 15 tackles for loss against Miami.

• Miami held Pittsburgh to 22 rushing yards on 26 carries.

• West Virginia held Kansas to 7 first downs for the game.

• West Virginia allowed just 157 yard of offense against Kansas.

• West Virginia held Kansas to 2.9 yards per play on Saturday.

• Memphis (41) and UCF (34) combined for 75 first downs in their game.

• UCF had 798 yards of offense against Memphis.

• Memphis had 703 yards of offense against UCF.

• UCF averaged 8.3 yards per play against Memphis.

• Arkansas intercepted 6 passes, recovered a fumble and forced 2 turnovers on downs giving them 9 turnovers forced against Mississippi.

• Texas A&M allowed -2 yards rushing on 20 attempts against Mississippi State.

• Virginia Tech ran for 350 yards on 40 carries or 8.5 yards per carry against Boston College.

• Alabama earned 33 first downs against Georgia.

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Kellen Mond image taken by Gamecock Central is licensed under CC BY 2.0.