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Weekend Review

Oct 28 - Oct 31

UCF 49 vs Temple 7

• Recap: Our first road win! In my opinion, this was our best game this season. On both sides of the ball, we physically outperformed the Owls. We have fought through so much adversity this year with coaching changes late in the Spring and major injuries to multiple, impact players on both sides of the ball. These struggles make every win that much sweeter. Now we need to keep up that momentum through the end of the season so we can secure a bowl game!
  • DEFENSE
    • We had yet another light's out performance on defense. If not for a TD pass in the very last minute of the game, these guys would have pulled off a shutout! From the defensive front to the DBs, it was really an all around, great defensive performance.
    • Shout out: Sophomore DB Justin Hodges came up huge for the second week in a row! Not only was he great in coverage, he found his way into the Temple backfield for a sack and a TFL, he pulled off a big pass deflection, and he also had 4 tackles in the game.
  • OFFENSE
    • Mikey Keene and the offense lit up the scoreboard this weekend. In a career high performance, Keene completed 15/21 passes for 229 yards and 5 TDs. That means every third completed pass made it to the end zone!
    • Shout out: Alec Holler had his best game yet hauling in 2 TDs. It looks like he's settling in at the TE position. For UCF, TEs have historically played an impactful role on our offense so I suspect we will see many more big plays out of him this season.
  • Up next: It's homecoming weekend!!

Around CFB this weekend

• Overall: We have rounded the half way point and the road to the playoffs is tighter than ever. Every single game is make or break for the teams at the top right now. 
• Michigan State 37 - Michigan 33
  • Recap: This Big 10 rivalry was possibly the biggest game of the weekend and it did not disappoint. Coming into this game, both teams were undefeated. Michigan was ranked 6th and Michigan State 8th.
    • Michigan State: If Kenneth Walker III wasn't on your Heisman watchlist before, he should be now.
      • RB1 Walker III scored all 5 of the Spartans' TDs on Saturday and rushed for 197 yards on 23 carries. Not only are those numbers jaw-dropping, they're historic. Walker is now the only player in history to rush for 5 TDs against Michigan (and Michigan has playing football since the 1870's...). 
        • On the season, Walker leads the league in rushing with 1,194 yards averaging 6.8 yards/carry.
      • After going down by two-possessions in the second half, the Spartans scored 3 unanswered TDs to take their first lead of the game with 5 minutes left. Their defense ultimately held on to secure the W.
    • Michigan: In total, UM put up 552 yards of offense and scored on all 6 of their red zone possessions. However, they struggled to make it all the way to the end zone scoring only two TDs on those 6 drives.
      • While the Wolverines are typically a run-dominant offense, the Michigan State defense held their rushing game in check. This forced UM, led by QB Cade McNamara, to prove that they can also be dangerous through the air.
        • McNamara finished the day with an impressive 383 yards, 2 TDs/1 INT.
        • Freshman QB JJ McCarthy also made an appearance throwing for 23 yards and a TD that put Michigan up 23-14 just before half.
      • After going up 30-14 early in the second half, Michigan ultimately could not hold on to the lead. They gave up 2 turnovers in the 4th-quarter that ended up costing them the game and possibly their shot at the playoffs.
• Houston 44 - Southern Methodist 37
  • Recap: Houston is now on a 7-game winning streak after snapping SMU's chances at a perfect season. It isn't very often that you see a game settled by special teams quite like this one.
    • Houston: With their only loss coming to Texas Tech in week 1 and now 5-0 in conference play, UH is in control of their destiny in the AAC. If they win out the rest of the season (against USF, Temple, and Memphis), they will likely meet Cincinnati in the AAC title game.
      • QB1 Clayton Tune led the Cougars to a victory with a career high of 412 yards/4 TDs.
      • Three of those TDs came from connecting with WR Nathaniel Dell who also had an impressive game with 9 receptions for 165 yds/3 TDs.
      • The game winning TD, however, came with 30 seconds left in the game after SMU had just scored a game-tying field goal. On the kickoff that followed, Marcus Jones returned the ball 100 yards putting the Cougars up 44-37 and leaving only 17 seconds on the clock.
    • SMU: For the Mustangs, a loss to Houston meant losing both their dreams of an undefeated season and control over their own AAC title chances.
      • SMU's QB Tanner Mordecai, who has been pulling off explosive games all year, put up 305 yards for 3 TDs/1 INT. While those numbers did help the Mustangs put 37 points on the board, they weren't enough to outduel the Cougars.
      • In a back and forth offensive shootout, the difference making plays came from the special teams. In a play that looked very similar to the eventual game winner by UH, SMU's Bryan Massey returned the second half, opening kickoff for a TD. This gave SMU their first lead of the game but the two, high-powered offenses kept finding ways to score throughout the second half. 

NFL Football

• Tampa Bay 27 - New Orleans 36
  • Recap: This game was hard for me to watch for multiple reasons. Y'all know I'm a huge Bucs fan so any loss hurts. What you may not know is that I became a Bucs fan because they drafted Jameis Winston (FSU), who was my favorite player at the time, in 2015. Even though Jameis has since gone on to take over the Saints' offense, I still want to see him do well. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear/MCL injury early in the second quarter. 
    • Buccaneers: The Bucs offense gave up three, costly turnovers. In the second quarter alone, two of those turnovers led to points on the board for the Saints. In the final seconds of the game, Brady threw an interception that sealed their fate.
      • Finding themselves down by 16 points in the second half, Brady's offense was nearly able to pull off the comeback. With 5 minutes left in the game, the Bucs had their first lead but they couldn't hold on. 
      • Despite the outcome, WR Chris Godwin had a huge game for the Bucs offense with 144 yards on 8 receptions and 1 TD.
      • TE Rob Gronkowski was back on the field for the first time in 4 games but he ended up being ruled out after only a few snaps... I'm hoping we can get him back relatively soon.
    • Saints: Every year, the Saints' defense causes problems for the Bucs (they held Tom Brady to 0 TDs in Nov 2020...). Yesterday was no different when they recovered 3 turnovers; 2 of which the offense capitalized on and 1 the defense returned themselves.
      • After losing Jameis, backup QB Trevor Siemian took over and did his part to secure the W. He ended the game with 159 yards, 1TD/0INT. He will have to continue to be reliable this season after it was announced today that Jameis will be out for the season.
• Green Bay 24 - Arizona 21
  • Recap: Coming into this game, Arizona was undefeated and Green Bay was 7-1. Rarely do you see an Aaron Rodgers-led Packers team come into a game as underdogs but, with 8 starters out including star WR Davante Adams, the Cardinals were 6.5 point favorites. For his entire 17 season career, Rodgers is 1-7 when coming into a game as a 5+ point underdog.
    • Packers: The Green Bay offense looked a lot different without Adams (COVID), Lazard (COVID), and Valdes-Scantling (hamstring). To throw more salt in their wounds, they also lost star TE Robert Tonyan to a torn ACL in the 3rd quarter. 
      • As expected when entering a game against the No.1 team for points against and with most of the usual targets sidelined, Rodgers didn't look as sharp as usual. He finished the game with 184 yards/2 TDs.
      • The running backs, who struggled last week, ended up being the reliable source of offense that put the Packers in position to pull off the upset.
        • AJ Dillion carried the ball 16 times for 79 yards while Aaron Jones rushed for 59 yards and ended up being the leading receiver with 7 catches/51 yards.
      • Arizona: There are no longer any undefeated teams in the NFL and there may be bad luck ahead for the Cardinals.
        • For most of the game, the Kyler Murray-led Cardinals looked uncomfortable. In the second half, Murray was able to secure 2 TDs to put his team within a 3 points of Green Bay.
        • In the final minutes of the game, Murray moved the ball 94 yards to the 1 yard line. Unfortunately, much like the throw that ended the Bucs game, that drive resulted in a game-ending interception.
        • To make things worse, star WR DeAndre Hopkins reaggravated a hamstring injury that has been an issue for awhile and MVP-hopeful QB Kyler Murray was noticeably limping after the game.

KD's College Football Playoff Watch

1. Georgia (8-0): The Bulldogs beat up the Florida Gators with ease this past weekend (34-7). I said it last week and I'll say it again: Georgia is a juggernaut. If UGA keeps playing this way through the end of the regular season, they will earn a playoff spot even if they struggle against a one-loss Alabama in the SEC championship.

2. Alabama (7-1): I have Alabama #2 purely based on my prediction that Saban will find a way to win the SEC and give the Crimson Tide a hand over Georgia before the playoffs. Although, Georgia's game this past weekend casts doubt on this prediction since Alabama did struggle against the Gators (31-29) earlier this season... If they can't secure the SEC title, Alabama will be a 2-loss team and I suspect that will be too much to overlook with such a tight race happening this year.

3. Cincinnati (8-0): Cincinnati kept their #2 ranking after beating Tulane this past weekend. As we know all too well, there are already whispers about how a G5 team doesn't have the resume to be selected for the playoff. It may not have been a blow out but UC did secure the W over Tulane more convincingly than Oklahoma did earlier this year. The Bearcats also have a top-10 win over Notre Dame and a road win against Indiana on their resume. However, in order to be invited to the playoff, Cincy is going to have to win the rest of their games and the AAC title convincingly.

4. Michigan State (8-0): The Spartans are now the lone, unbeaten team in the Big 10 after taking down the #6 Wolverines this past weekend. With a tough conference and wins over Indiana and Miami on the road, the Michigan State resume is stronger than some other teams fighting for the playoff spots. However, in order to have a chance, the Spartans will have to beat both Ohio State (Nov 20) and Penn State (Nov 27) before securing the Big 10 title.

In the Hunt:  

• Oklahoma (9-0): The Sooners' season has been characterized by headlines such as "Huge Comeback Win" and "Narrowly Held On" for their less than impressive performances against teams like Tulane, WVU, and Kansas. While they are 9-0, I do not believe OU has proven themselves to be better than the other 3 undefeated teams. They also will not have a conference championship game against a top-4 opponent to help boost them up at the end of the season. They will meet #14 Baylor on Nov 13 so it will be interesting to see if they can pull off a win over a higher-quality team.
• Ohio State (7-1): Ohio State hurt their playoff chances early on in the season with a loss to Oregon. The Buckeyes have since won each of their games and their offense has looked powerful scoring 50+ points/game. This past weekend, however, tOSU struggled against Penn State. They ultimately came out on top thanks to some explosive plays such as defensive tackle Jerron Cage running 58 yards for a scoop-and-score. The Buckeyes will have the chance to make a case for the playoffs later this season if they can secure wins over both Michigan State (Nov 20) and Michigan (Nov 27). 

Defensive Player of the Year Watch (NFL)

Recap: My prediction for DPOY is coming down to a race between Watt and Garrett whose teams happened to play each other this weekend. 

• TJ Watt: As usual, Watt was disruptive and an absolute game-changer. By the end of the game, he had totaled 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, and recovered a fumble for the game's only turnover. If Watt continues to dominate like he did yesterday, he could very well run away with the title this year.
• Myles Garrett: After showing up to the game dressed as the Grim Reaper with the names of QBs he had sacked written on his cape, it would have been a shame if Garrett didn't find his way to Roethlisberger at some point. While he did record one sack, Garrett was relatively quiet against the Steelers. Regardless, at 10.5 sacks on the season, Myles Garrett is leading the league and tops many DPOY watchlists.
• Trevon Diggs: Unfortunately, Diggs' run for DPOY may be put on hold after leaving this Sunday's game late with an ankle injury. While he was effective in coverage by holding Vikings' WR Justin Jefferson (avg 90 yards/game) to only 21 yards, his 6-game interception streak was also snapped this weekend.

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