Weekend Walk-through: Week Six, 2022

Here’s a quick walk-through of things we are watching this weekend in games we did not preview individually. Items will appear in the order they will appear on your televisions this weekend.

Key AAC Match-up in the Middle of the Week (Wednesday 7:00 PM EDT, ESPN 2)

College football fans get a mid-week treat when SMU and UCF kickoff on Wednesday night. The Mustangs are 2 – 2 but both losses are by one score against Maryland and TCU. UCF is 3 – 1 with a six point loss against Louisville as their only blemish. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that multiple SMU players have decided to sit out the remainder of the season.

Despite the missing players, SMU will still have most of their key contributors, led by star quarterback Tanner Mordecai and leading receiver Rashee Rice. Mordecai and Rice lead an offense that has averaged 38.5 points per game this year. SMU has plenty of firepower and Mordecai does a good job of getting the ball to his weapons. The Mustangs are second in the conference is scoring offense and lead the conference in yards per game. This will be a good test for a UCF defense that has excelled early on this season.

While most of UCF’s recent success has centered around an explosive offense, in 2022 it’s the Knights defense that has led the way. UCF leads the conference in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 13.5 points per game. The defense is led by a deep and talented front that has been able to force negative plays. They will attempt to get pressure on Mordecai and keep the SMU offense off-track.

SMU and UCF will test each other’s strengths on Wednesday night. Both teams have aspirations of winning the AAC this year, a win tonight would be a great start.

Undefeated Showdown in the Big 12 (12 EDT, FS1)

TCU and Kansas have surprised the college football world with their fast starts in 2022. On Saturday they will steal the spotlight from Texas and Oklahoma and play the biggest game in the Big 12. While the fast start has been a wonderful story, TCU and Kansas can now shift their sights towards bigger goals. The winner of this game will remain undefeated and at the top of the Big 12 standings.

The Horned Frogs hired Sonny Dykes to energize their offense, and Dykes has done just that. TCU’s offense has been among the best in college football this year, averaging 48.5 points per game. The Horned Frogs lead the country with an average of 8.3 yards per play and just put up 55 points against Oklahoma. Max Duggan has thrived in Dykes offense, making big plays himself and using all of his explosive play-makers. TCU’s offense is not easy to keep up with, but Kansas has proven they can win in a variety of ways.

The Jayhawks have been the biggest surprise of the season. They won just two games a year ago, but appear to be ahead of schedule in 2022. Kansas has been finding ways to win despite the new challenges each week presents. They beat West Virginia 55 – 42 and Houston 48 – 30 in shoot-outs, then they beat Duke 35 – 27 in a more balanced game and finally won a defensive slug-fest against Iowa State 14 – 11 last week. Kansas has been adaptable, thanks to the efficient play of quarterback, Jalon Daniels. He has been efficient passing the ball and as a runner, making big plays without turning the ball over. Daniels has scored when the team needs points, but more importantly he has avoided putting the defense in tough spots. His strong play has been the steadying hand for a rising Kansas team.

Kansas is likely going to have to prove they can score with TCU on Saturday, if Daniels can keep the offense humming along this could be one of the more entertaining games of the weekend.

Tennessee Rolls into LSU (12 EDT, ESPN)

Tennessee enjoyed a bye after beating Florida for the first time since 2016. The Volunteers are 4 – 0 and average a whopping 48.5 points per game. They will travel to Baton Rouge this week, hoping to keep their momentum rolling along.

LSU has struggled since winning the National Championship in 2019. The Tigers hired Brian Kelly to help get the program back on track. After a season opening loss to Florida State, LSU has won four in a row including in-conference wins over Mississippi State and Auburn. Tennessee is off to a hot start, but Hendon Hooker and company will have a difficult challenge facing them in Death Valley this Saturday. Tennessee’s offense has been explosive this season, but the LSU defense is the toughest test they have faced all season. If LSU can keep the Volunteers offense in check they will be in position to get another big SEC win at home.

For Tennessee this season is an opportunity to establish themselves as one of the premier teams in the SEC. To do that they will have to win these tough games on the road and finish the year in contention with Georgia.

Tennessee Volunteers Gear

A Test for Maryland (12 EDT, BTN)

Maryland began the season undefeated in out of conference play. They lost a close game on the road to Michigan in the Big Ten opener, but rebounded with a solid win over Michigan State. The Big Ten East is a tough division to climb in, but Maryland has gotten off to a strong 4 – 1 start. To compete in the division they cannot afford to lose crossover games, even if they are against a feisty Purdue team.

Purdue has two losses this year, one by four points to an undefeated Penn State team and one by three points to an undefeated Syracuse team. The Boilermakers handed Minnesota their first loss of the season last week, proving they are a dangerous opponent. Maryland has gotten off to a hot start, but with a loss to Michigan and Penn State and Ohio State still on the schedule they have to beat Purdue this week. The Terps have some offensive firepower with a deep group of receivers and an improved defense. Saturday will be a big test that will reveal if Maryland is ready to compete in the Big Ten East.

Maryland Terrapins Gear

Quarterback Availability in The Red River Shootout (12 EDT, ABC)

The Red River Shootout lost some of it’s national significance with Oklahoma and Texas both losing two games already this year. Regardless, the rivalry game will bring out the best in both teams and a win Saturday could be the key to turning around the season.

Oklahoma‘s woes go beyond the standings right now. In the loss against TCU, the Sooners also lost starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel’s status for the game Saturday is unknown, but his importance to the Oklahoma offense cannot be understated. Gabriel averages 9.1 yards per pass attempt and has 11 touchdown passes without an interception. His replacement against TCU averaged 3.6 yards per pass attempt. The Sooners need Gabriel back and healthy to beat the Longhorns.

Meanwhile, Texas could be getting starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back this week. Ewers was injured against Alabama and has missed the three games since, including a three point loss to Texas Tech. Ewers return would help Texas get their offense closer to full strength for the upcoming rivalry game. Either way, Texas has a sizeable advantage at the back-up quarterback spot with Hudson Card as an experienced option while Oklahoma has struggled without Gabriel.

Texas and Oklahoma have talented play-makers on offense that will be tough to contain on Saturday. All that firepower is great, but the quarterback is the key to both offenses. Texas at least has another proven option if Ewers is not ready, for Oklahoma the game may be decided by the availability report.

BYU and Notre Dame Looking to Build Momentum (7:30 EDT, NBC)

Both BYU and Notre Dame had big goals in 2022. BYU got off to a good start with a big win at home over Baylor, but suffered a 21 point loss against Oregon the next week. The Cougars have won two in a row since, but have not been particularly impressive against Wyoming and Utah State. Notre Dame lost a much anticipated season opener against Ohio State, then lost to Marshal the next week and lost their starting quarterback during the game. They managed to beat California the next week and then built on that with a good win over North Carolina. Both teams are on a winning streak heading into Saturday’s meeting, but both need to build some more positive momentum.

For BYU, the offense has struggled because of injuries at wide receiver, but the defense has not been consistent either. The Oregon game was supposed to be an opportunity to get a key win, but the Cougars were not competitive and have not looked the same since. They need a win against a big-name opponent to build confidence and get back on track.

Notre Dame’s loss against Marshall and sub-par showing against California in a win raised questions about the ability of this year’s team and coaching staff. The win over North Carolina was a good step towards answering those questions, but North Carolina’s defense is not very good. The questions about Notre Dame’s offense remain, but another strong showing against BYU would help ease those concerns.

For perception, confidence and momentum this game is a big one for BYU and Notre Dame to get their season on track.

Texas A&M and Alabama can Settle Things on the Field (8:00 EDT, CBS)

Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban’s off-season war of words will finally be settled on the field. While the press conferences and quips in interviews are fun, the true measure of a football team comes on game-days in the fall.

Texas A&M has struggled at the quarterback position. They have not been able to protect the quarterback, nor have the quarterbacks been able to make plays in the passing game. Despite the offensive struggles, Texas A&M’s defense was able to keep them in games and lead them to a 3 – 1 record until last week’s debacle against Mississippi State. The Aggies gave up 42 points to the Bulldogs, more than they had allowed in any two previous games. They will need to get the defense back on track to have a chance against the Crimson Tide.

Alabama was rolling against Arkansas until an injury took starting quarterback Bryce Young out of the game. Without Young, Alabama struggled for a while, losing momentum and allowing Arkansas to get back in the game. Nick Saban’s team was able to find a spark in the running game with Jalen Milroe and Jahmyr Gibbs making big plays. If Young is healthy Alabama will have a big advantage in this game, even without him they have enough offensive firepower to outscore a limited Texas A&M offense.

Florida State and NC State Look to Bounce Back (8:00 EDT, ACCN)

Both Florida State and NC State lost their undefeated seasons last week. Neither team played poorly, but lost competitive games against Wake Forest and Clemson. There is no rest for the weary and the two teams will face one another Saturday night as they look to rebound.

Florida State did a good job of slowing down a high scoring Wake Forest offense, but could not muster enough points to get the win. The Seminoles struggled to run the ball effectively, rushing for a season low 112 yards and were held without a rushing touchdown for the first time this year. They will have to be more balanced offensively against a good NC State defense that played Clemson tough most of the game.

The Wolfpack’s struggles were also on the offensive side of the ball, but they were more pronounced. Clemson completely shutdown the running attack, eliminating the threat of play-action passes and forcing Devin Leary and his receivers to beat them straight-up. The passing game was ineffective without the threat of a running game to support it and Clemson was able to chip away at the defense until they scored enough to get the win. Florida State’s defense is not as good as Clemson, so the Wolfpack will need to reset themselves and find their running game. If they can run the ball effectively and utilize their play-action passing game their offense will return to form.

The ACC Atlantic has been a strong division this season, two losses in the division would likely eliminate the loser of this game from contention in the Atlantic. The Seminoles and Wolfpack will do whatever they can to avoid that second loss.

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