Week 7 was packed with ranked matchups and a few intriguing unranked matchups. This week was highlighted by coaching brilliance, comebacks, and moments of lost focus.
1. Oregon and intentional penalty take down Ohio State
The Buckeyes and Ducks, both ranked in the top 3 entering Saturday, faced off in their first clash as Big Ten foes. All eyes were on Eugene for what was poised to be an all-time classic. With just a few seconds remaining, Dan Lanning sent on a 12th player on 3rd and 20 in hopes of drawing the 5-yard penalty and cutting the clock to 6 seconds. The move did just that and still assured the Buckeyes were out of field goal range. Their quarterback, Will Howard, then scrambled and didn’t get down until the clock expired, sealing the victory for the Ducks. This move of Lanning’s coaching genius has earned some mixed reactions, with some calling it dirty while others praised him for exploiting the rules. The Ducks slid up to number two in this week’s AP poll, while the Buckeyes just dropped to 4th in the poll. Both teams are poised to have great success, and Oregon earned the respect of the nation this Saturday.
2. Penn State comes back to win in OT led by Tyler Warren’s big day
Penn State entered the Coliseum as 3.5-point favorites despite being ranked 4th and facing an unranked USC team. This was Penn State’s first true road test, facing a sneaky Trojan team. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans are always a tough out and provide lots of teams with headaches. Their running back, Woody Marks, was the star for the Trojans with over 150 scrimmage yards. Drew Allan threw for 391 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Despite these big numbers, he was not the star for Penn State. Tyler Warren, the senior tight end, put the whole country on notice, going for 224 yards on 17 grabs. These eye-popping numbers earned the senior AP Player of the Week. Penn State won the game on a Ryan Barker game-winning field goal to move to 6-0. The Nittany Lions, avoiding any slip-ups, now look poised to earn a playoff berth.
3. Ole Miss must win out to make the playoff
Lane Kiffin and the Rebels entered Death Valley looking to continue their dominance from their previous game against South Carolina. They got out to a 17-7 lead and looked to be in control of the game, but LSU slowly clawed back and scored a game-tying touchdown with 27 seconds left in regulation. Kyren Lacy’s 25-yard touchdown was the game-winner in OT. Jaxson Dart, Cayden Lee, and Tre Harris, as well as several high-level defensive players, will look to right the ship and save the season. To do this, they will need to win their remaining games, including Georgia at home. The Rebels have playoff aspirations and will need to win their remaining 5 games to do so.
4. Texas thrashes Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry
The top-ranked Longhorns faced off against the 18th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in one of the sport’s greatest rivalries. Over 100,000 people from throughout the country lined the streets of Dallas for this great rivalry. Oklahoma showed up but simply didn’t have enough firepower to compete with the Longhorns. Quinn Ewers, in his return from injury, played well, throwing for 199 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Quintrevion Wisner had his best game of the season, taking 13 carries for 118 yards and 1 touchdown. Texas moves to 6-0, remaining the top-ranked team in the nation and chasing the national title.
5. Mark Stoops post bye week struggles continue
Mark Stoops, in his 12th year at the helm of the Wildcats program, has struggled mightily coming off of bye weeks. Unlike most coaches and teams who seem to rest up and be extra focused, the Wildcats often come out flat and undisciplined. Although Stoops’ unprecedented success as coach at Kentucky has been noteworthy, fans are beginning to become dissatisfied with the performance of the program. Offseason comments and lack of offensive consistency have led fans to believe Stoops is at the root of many of the team’s problems. The Cats were the better team on Saturday, but penalties and inexcusable mistakes led to Vanderbilt’s victory. Vandy seemed more prepared and into the game from the start. Stoops will look to right the ship and end the unrest in the fan base. He will have several marquee matchups to pick up some big wins but will need to do a better job of keeping his players engaged for smaller games.
