CFB Review Week 6
Brett Loftis
#9 Missouri @ #25 Texas A&M: 41-10 Texas A&M
In a week where upsets were a trend, the outcome of this game was probably a surprise to most. It is not because the Aggies won, as they were favored to according to Vegas. It was a shocker because of their margin of victory, which was 31 points.
This was one of those games where if you did not turn it on until late in the first quarter, it was already out of hand. Texas A&M jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first 15 minutes, and then they added one more touchdown heading into the half. The Aggies defense forced a trio of three and outs, while their offense scored on all but one of their first half drives.
If Mizzou had a comeback in them coming out of the locker room to begin the third quarter, their bubbles were quickly burst. Aggies Running Back Le’Veon Moss took the first from scrimmage in the third quarter 75 yards for his second of three rushing touchdowns on the day.
Texas A&M and Mizzou would both add 10 more points to the scoreboard in the final 25 minutes of the game to bring the final to 41-10. This game was just never close, which was a surprise to many. Mizzou had their struggles in previous games, and these continued in College Station on Saturday. However, the Aggies appear to may be a top five team in the SEC and have improved a lot from 2023.
Mizzou will be back on the road this Saturday against UMass, as Texas A&M will have a bye this week.
#15 Clemson @ Florida State: 29-13 Clemson
Let’s call this game what it was: uneventful. Clemson did what they needed to do to win against a very subpar FSU team, but the Tigers played far from their best football.
Clemson went three and out on their first drive of the game but added 17 points across their next three first quarter drives. Everything in this game really went stagnant from there. FSU scored an early second quarter TD, and the Tigers added two more field goals to close out the first half with a 23-7 lead.
Neither team got on the board in the third quarter, but not because the Tigers offense was having issues moving the ball. Clemson was able to get drives going, but they could not finish them off. Clemson’s Freshman Kicker Nolan Hauser made five field goals in this game but missed two. These could have had a big effect on the game had Clemson’s defense not been able to hold FSU’s offense to more than 13 points.
This game was dominated by Clemson on the field, but not on the scoreboard. The Tigers still covered the spread. However, there are some serious questions for the Tigers about their lack of offensive production against bad defenses in back-to-back weeks. The good news for Clemson is that their schedule is far from the toughest in the ACC over their final seven regular season games.
Clemson will travel to Wake Forest this Saturday, as FSU will have a bye this week.
#12 Ole Miss @ South Carolina: 27-3 Ole Miss
Many could have seen this coming: an Ole Miss team coming off a loss, plays inspired football, and rolls into Columbia to destroys the Gamecocks. If you were a part of the many who predicted this, then you got it exactly right.
South Carolina did not have a great health week coming into this game. Neither starting Quarterback LaNorris Sellers or running back Rocket Sanders were at full health. Both still played, but their effectiveness was obviously limited by their injuries. The Gamecocks offense could not move the football and scored their lone three points of the afternoon in the second quarter.
South Carolina’s defense performed better than their offense, but still not well. Ole Miss marched out to a 24-3 halftime lead, as their three first half touchdown drives were all 59 yards or shorter. The Gamecocks inability to play complimentary football put their defense in bad spots the entire first half.
However, there may be some silver linings for the Gamecocks. South Carolina only surrendered three points in the second half. Ole Miss only ran for 140 yards, while QB Jaxon Dart was held to under 300 yards passing. These may still seem like big numbers, but the Gamecocks were able to limit one of the most explosive offenses in college football to under 30 points and 425 total yards. However, heading into next week and beyond, eyes must be on South Carolina’s offense and how it must see improvement if the Gamecocks want any chance of playing in a bowl game.
South Carolina will travel to #7 Alabama Saturday, as #9 Ole Miss will travel to #13 LSU.
