LSU’s Upset Of Georgia One Of Many On Wild Saturday
If the ball tipped the other way for the teams in the wrong side of potential upset victories, Week 7 of the College Football season had potential to completely flip the college football world upside down.
We’ll settle for the thrills and excitement that a wild and upset-filled day that saw four top 10 teams suffer losses.
Of the top 10 teams that won Saturday, three were locked in games decided by six points or less. The season is winding down with so much still in play.
Which top 10 teams took the fall in Week 7 and what does that mean for the rest of the season in college football as the whole?
Let’s get started!
LSU Knocks Georgia From Unbeatens
Ed Orgeron’s team was upset and hurt following their first loss of the season last Saturday in Gainesville.
They channeled that emotion into yet another impressive performance vs a team that played in the National title game last season.
The LSU Tigers dominated the Georgia Bulldogs 36-16 at Tiger Stadium to hand No. 2 Georgia its first loss of the 2018 season.
No. 13 LSU redeemed themselves from a ugly loss last Saturday vs Florida by punishing Georgia’s offense from start to finish.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm (16-for-34, 209 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) and the Georgia Bulldogs would be stifled into four turnovers vs LSU, being shutout in the first half in the lopsided loss.
Jake Camarda received a workout with six punts for Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs as Joe Burrow and the Tigers out-gained Georgia 475 to 322.
For LSU, it’s the third win vs a top 10 win of the season to this point. While their loss at Florida dampened their playoff hopes, LSU has an opportunity to boost their odds at the CFP with a home visit by the Alabama Crimson Tide on November 3rd.
Purdy, Montgomery Key Iowa State Upset of WVU
Iowa State has a knack for pulling off stunning upsets, but Saturday’s at home vs No. 6 West Virginia made a stunner into a laugher.
Iowa State would win in convincing fashion vs West Virginia as they took a 30-14 final at Jack Trice Stadium.
Close to pulling off the upset vs Oklahoma a few weeks prior, Matt Campbell’s Cyclones would get the job done vs a West Virginia team that entered 5-0.
Will Grier (100 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) built a strong case for the Heisman Trophy award in the Mountaineers first five games but would be brought crashing down to earth vs Iowa State.
Iowa would ride the hot hand of freshman quarterback Brock Purdy (254 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) and explosiveness of running back David Montgomery (189 rushing yards, 1 TD) to a decisive victory.
Iowa State (3-3) a week after upsetting the Oklahoma State Cowboys, it’s this type of effort that is most rewarding for head coach Matt Campbell.
Iowa State is not where they want to be as a program, but the strides made under Campbell will go a long way towards shifting into becoming a winning program in the near future.
Notre Dame Survives Pittsburgh’s Challenge At Home
It wasn’t pretty, but Brian Kelley and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take wins anyway they can.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish avoided a scare at home with a narrow 19-14 win over Pittsburgh.
A 35-yard touchdown pass by Isaiah Book to Miles Boykin with under six minutes to play in the game gave Notre Dame the lead after trailing for much of the game.
Struggling some on the day, when Notre Dame needed a play on defense they got one from Khalid Kareem, who sacked quarterback Kenny Pickett on Pittsburg’s first play of their final possession for a big loss of 14.
Pittsburgh would turn the ball over on downs after a failed 4th and 29 attempt.
This was not a pretty game by any means for Notre Dame, who played with fate with two turnovers as well as an inability to finish possessions with touchdowns instead of field goals.
It was statistically Ian Book’s worst game of the season despite finishing the game with a 82 percent completion percentage. Notre Dame couldn’t run the football (80 rushing yards on 38 carries), something unusual for the team.
The defense couldn’t force a turnover and allowed the Pittsburgh Panthers to establish a rhythm on the ground.
Considering Saturday’s upsets and their final five games to end the season features no ranked teams, Notre Dame is in control of their own destiny for the CFP.
Oregon Picks Up Key Pac-12 Victory Over Washington
Feeling like a team that’s floated under the radar, Oregon is hoping we can hear them now.
The Oregon Ducks defeated the Washington Huskies 30-27 in overtime on Saturday at Autzen Stadium to claim a huge Pac-12 victory.
No. 17 Oregon knee that making a move up the standings would require taking care of business vs a talented Huskies team who’s one loss to this point to Auburn did not keep them from being ranked 7th in the country.
In a back-and-forth affair, Oregon running back C.J. Verdell — who finished with 111 rushing yards and 2 TDs — would score the game-winning 6-yard touchdown run vs Washington in overtime to win the game.
Washington kept jumping out in front of Oregon, and Oregon remained poised under junior Justin Herbert (202 passing yards, 2 TDs) to answer Washington’s punches.
It’s a game that the Huskies will look back on thinking they missed an opportunity for victory on the road after miscues and errors led to the game going to overtime.
The Oregon Ducks meanwhile hope that a win over their Pac-12 foes open some eyes for a team that just may be much better than their 5-1 mark indicates.
What are your thoughts on Saturday’s wild college football action? Leave your comments below!