College Football Recap: Headlines Surrounding A Wild Week 9
In a wild Week 9 of the College Football slate, fans were on the edge of their seats all weekend.
From Jackson State hosting College GameDay (and Penn State hosting Fox Big Noon Kickoff), to a powerhouse SEC team falling apart and an Ohio State defender putting up arguably the greatest stat line in college football history, week nine featured it all.
J.T Tuimoloau and Ohio State outlast Penn State
The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes battled the noise of the No.15 Penn State faithful and sprinted through the finish line. The Nittany Lions, with the student section on their side, were in the driver’s seat all game and ended up leading 14-13 into half. But the lead didn't last long and Penn State fell 44-31 in a horrid fourth quarter performance.
Heisman-candidate and Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud was not too sharp but he ultimately led the Buckeyes to 28 fourth-quarter points to come away with the win. Although the offense had 452 total yards, the Buckeye defense was the headline in Happy Valley.
Defensive End J.T Tuimoloau had the game of his life at Beaver Stadium. Applying pressure to Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford all game, Tuimoloau finished with six total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble and a touchdown.
The sophomore stud from Edgewood, Washington. has been a disruptive factor all season long. As Ohio State gears up for the College Football Playoff, keep an eye on the Tuimoloau to wreak havoc to opposing offenses.
Rocky Top Stays Rolling
No. 1 Tennessee is on fire and no one can slow them down. In a highly-anticipated battle against projected first overall pick Will Levis and Kentucky, Tennessee proved they were the better team from the start. Kentucky was simply unable to match up with the Vols on both sides of the ball.
The Vols smothered Levis as he threw three interceptions on 98 passing yards. The Tennessee defense only allowed a slim 205 total yards on six total points against the Wildcats offense.
The momentum stuck with the Vols in Rocky Top as Heisman-favorite Hendon Hooker put on a show for the white and orange. Hooker found his go-to target Jalin Hyatt for two uncontested touchdowns and connected for 138 yards.
Hooker and the offense pasted together grueling and effective drives and as a result put up 44 points on 422 total yards.
Coach Josh Heupel has brought back energetic Saturdays in Knoxville and is looking to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. The Vols lineup with No. 2 Georgia on Nov. 5 in the potential Game of the Year in College Football.
Auburn, What Happened?
The Auburn Tigers began the season 2-0 with quality non-conference wins. Everything seemed to go right for the Tigers, until it came to a halt.
Since week two, the Tigers have gone 1-5 which includes four straight losses. The Tigers currently sit 1-4 in the SEC West with an overtime win against a flimsy Missouri program.
The Tigers offense is simply not clicking in any capacity. Quarterbacks Robby Ashford and T.J Finley have thrown for six touchdowns on a shocking ten interceptions. The same story applies with the defense as they allow an average of 34.1 points per game
Auburn is not what they used to be as the program is searching for answers. They recently fired their head coach Bryan Harsin as they claw for any sort of hope. Many insiders believe Ole Miss coach Line Kiffin, Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders or even former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule could be options to fill the coaching vacancy for the Tigers.
Fire It Up, J-State
For the first time in program history, Jackson State hosted ESPN’s College GameDay for an anticipated SWAC conference matchup with Southern University.
Let me tell you, Jackson, Mississippi did not disappoint.
Coach “Prime” Deion Sanders pulled out all the tricks and even brought out a close friend of his, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, to make an appearance on GameDay. Smith, alumni of HBCU Winston-Salem University, energized the Tigers’ faithful.
The energy was strong all Saturday morning and it fed into kickoff as Jackson State dominated on both sides of the ball. The Tigers led 22-0 at half and did not skip a beat. Son of Coach “Prime,” Shadeur Sanders took control of the game as he finished with 194 yards in the air and one passing touchdown.
Jackson State sits 8-0 in the SWAC conference and is looking to win back-to-back conference titles for the first time in program history.
More Headlines:
Unranked Notre Dame takes down undefeated No. 16 Syracuse on the road, 41-24
No. 5 Michigan defeats Michigan at The Big House, 29-7
No. 7 TCU inches closer to a Big 12 title with win over West Virginia, 41-31
Jasper Abrahams is a first-year majoring in public relations. To contact him, please email jpa5778@psu.edu.
