The LSU defense spotted the Aggies 12 points early but clamped down on them and QB Johnny Manziel the rest of the way. Photo by Chris Granger/NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune
The Good
LSU: Midway through the 2nd quarter the Tigers were down 12-0 as Johnny Manziel and the Aggies were moving the ball at will against their vaunted defense. Geaux then ripped off 24 unanswered points for a dramatic 24-19 win. This was no thanks to Zach Mettenberger who didn’t even crack the 100 yards passing mark, but a ground game led by freshman Jeremy Hill. The win is even more significant because LSU is heading into a bye week with Bama looming in 2 weeks.
Michigan: It wasn’t pretty, but Michigan finally beat ‘Little Brother’ for the first time since 2007 and it was their milestone 900th win as a program. The Spartan defense largely contained Denard Robinson and kept him out of the endzone. However the Wolverine D put in a big effort as well, keeping the game close until a field goal sealed the victory.
The Bad
Virginia Tech: The Hokies are becoming mainstays in the Bad and Ugly sections. Their bizarre loss to Clemson lands them here yet again. Despite outgaining the Tigers by a wide margin in total yards, VT could only muster 10 points while giving 38 to Clemson and the 3 INTs didn’t help much. So much for Logan Thomas being a 1st round pick.
Cincinnati: Not only did the Bearcats get upset by a MAC team, but got upset by Toledo without allowing them an offensive touchdown. The Rockets got one TD off a 75 yard INT return and another on a 91 yard kick return. The loss knocks Cincinnati from the ranks of the unbeatens, but more importantly it comes with a game against Louisville next week, so momentum won’t be on their side.
The Ugly
South Carolina: Talk about getting clobbered. It was a defense-dominated game as expected with both teams getting under 200 total yards, but Florida was able to convert those into 44 points, whereas the Gamecocks could only muster 11. 4 turnovers only hurt their chances and the team is sure to tumble in the rankings after their 2nd straight loss.
Auburn: Apparently it can get worse for Gene Chizik and the Tigers. After dropping one to Ole Miss last week, they sputter against Vanderbilt this week. The offense couldn’t get going and the defense was bowled over by the Vandy running game. With the way the team is playing, next week’s game against New Mexico State isn’t looking like a sure thing.
Awards
The ‘Charlie Weis Ate My Cheeseburger’ Award for Defense: Stanford. Holding Cal to just a field goal in The Big Game is certainly impressive and would get them in contention for this award. What clinched is the Cardinal defense allowing just 3 yards rushing for a minuscule 0.1 yards per carry average.
The ‘Surely You Must Be Joking?’ Offensive Performance Of The Week: Oregon ground game. Overall the Ducks had 406 rushing yards compared to only 48 through the air. RB Kenjon Barner had 143 yards and 3 TDs, while QB Marcus Mariota had 135 yards and a TD of his own. Even backup QB Bryan Bennett had 40 yards on the ground.
The ‘These Are Not The Droids You’re Looking For’ Mystery Of The Week: What happened to West Virginia and Geno Smith? They were humming along, piling up points and yards while beating Baylor and Texas. Now they’ve been schooled by Texas Tech last week and Kansas State this week. Smith has suddenly become largely ineffective and his Heisman stock is tumbling while K-State’s Colin Klein looks to be in the driver’s seat for the award. As for another mystery, I picked Oregon State to finish last in the Pac-12 North in my preview series, but they’re now ranked #7 in the nation???
