#2 Ohio State @ #3 Oregon: 32-31 Oregon
This game was as good as it gets: a top three matchup in a revamped conference with two perennial powerhouses who are hungry to prove something. It lived up to the hype.
This was a heavyweight bout at the highest level of college football. The Buckeyes and the Ducks traded points back forth all night. In typical big game fashion, the senior transfer quarterbacks were the story. Will Howard (OSU) and Dillon Gabriel (ORE) combined for over 600 yards passing and five total touchdowns. Neither QB committed a turnover and played almost perfect football, until the end.
With the Buckeyes trailing by one and a 1:47 on the clock, Will Howard had a chance to have his first signature moment as the Ohio State signal caller. Just as they had done all night, the OSU offense marched down the field. However, after an offensive pass interference, the Buckeyes were just out of field goal range with 10 seconds remaining. Will Howard made a costly mental mistake on the final play of the game, as he scrambled for 12 yards, but slid in bounds with the clock reading all zeroes. Somehow, someway, the Oregon Ducks escaped by the skin of the beaks against one of the most talented rosters in all of college football.
The Ducks travel to Purdue this week on Friday, and the Buckeyes will have a bye.
#10 Clemson @ Wake Forest: 49-14 Clemson
What a shocker: Clemson beat down another very bad ACC opponent.
The Tigers offense again could not get started early, again. Wake Forest led early after a first quarter score put them ahead 7-0. Clemson would not strike until the second quarter and proceeded to score 28 of their 49 points in a 12-minute stretch.
Cade Klubnik has been praised, berated, and everything else in between this season. This game really was not any different. The junior QB threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, but did not start well. However, once he got going, the whole offense was rolling. Running back Phil Mafah did his part, adding 108 rushing yards and two scores. The Clemson backfield had one of their best performances as a group all year, despite an ugly first 15 minutes.
The Clemson defense did two things in this game that they had not all year: give up first quarter points and not give up any points in the second half. The second-string defense looked a lot better than it has this season, albeit going against one of the worst offenses in the ACC. Yes, the second team defense has gotten a lot of playing time late in these games that their performance is now able to be measured from week to week. All in all, the Tigers seem to be making strides on both sides of the ball despite not facing any real competition from week to week.
Clemson plays host to Virginia this Saturday and Wake Forest will travel to UConn.
South Carolina @ #7 Alabama: 27-25 Alabama
Who seen this coming? The South Carolina Gamecocks walked in Bryant-Denny Stadium and were the better football team. Yes, South Carolina lost. It is also true that they should have won. Moral victories mean nothing in college football and especially in the SEC, but this could be a big building block for the Gamecocks.
First off, LaNorris Sellers played wonderful. He had some freshman mistakes that perhaps cost the Gamecocks the game. However, without his performance, South Carolina is nowhere close to winning this one. He threw for 238 yards and two scores, while adding 19 yards rushing. He did not play perfect, but the freshman QB stepped up in a hostile environment in a massive SEC road game.
The best thing South Carolina fans can take away from this game is the Gamecocks Defensive performance. This was the single best game this unit has played in six games, despite a losing effort. The Gamecocks Defense sacked Bama QB Jalen Milroe four times, half of those coming from Kyle Kennard. The Gamecocks also picked Milroe off twice while adding nine tackles for loss, three of those from Kennard.
This Bama team may not be as good as those in the last decade, but this is still a top four team in the best conference in college football. South Carolina hung toe to toe with them for 60 minutes and should have won. Again, this means nothing in 2024. However, going forward, Shane Beamer and South Carolina are building towards becoming of the top tier programs in the SEC for years to come. They will have their ups and downs for the remainder of 2024, but both the potential and vision are there in Columbia.
South Carolina will travel to Oklahoma this Saturday to play the Sooners and Alabama will be at Tennessee.
