We had what has been described as the greatest game in College Football history last week. On paper, this week’s set of games was unable to live up to that game. However, as we found out, College Football has a way of surprising you when you least expect it. So, how did the Alabama Crimson Tide, Missouri Tigers, and Tennessee Volunteers, among others, fare in week 6?
Alabama Crash Back Down to Earth
Last week, the number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide played what has been described as one of the greatest games in the history of College Football. Their victory over the Georgia Bulldogs put them in the number one rank for the week and in the driving position for the SEC championship. This week, they faced the Vanderbilt Commodores, who have been better than everyone had predicted. But, could they keep up with the best team in the nation?
The Commodores had the first possession of the game and would be able to get the first score of the game from it. Starting from their 25-yard line, Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia was able to move his offense down the field to reach the Bama seven-yard line. From here, running back Sedrick Alexander would find the endzone for a seven-yard rushing TD to give them the early lead.
Things would get better for the Commodores on the next drive when Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe’s pass would be intercepted and then returned to the house for a Pick Six TD. This gave Vandy a shock 14-point lead.
However, the Crimson Tide were able to shake off this previous mistake and find the endzone. Milroe would be able to bring the offense down to the Commodores’ eight-yard line, before running back Jam Miller found the endzone for a rushing TD to bring the lead back to seven points.
But, this did not last long, and Vanderbilt would be able to score another TD on their next drive. This drive lasted nearly 10 minutes, as Pavia and his offense very slowly made their way down to the Crimson Tide’s one-yard line. From here, Alexander would again find the endzone for another rushing touchdown which only added to the Commodores’ surprise lead.
This would increase on their next drive, as Commondores’ kicker Brock Taylor would hit a 51-yard field goal. But, Alabama would respond to this on the following drive, as Miller found the endzone for a three-yard rushing TD, his second of the game.
This meant that at halftime, Vanderbilt had a 23-14 lead over the number-one-ranked team in the country.
The lead was cut into early in the second half. On the opening drive of said half, Milroe would be able to move his offense down to the Commodores’ 14-yard line. He ran it into the endzone from here to make it a two-point game.
After a minor lull in proceedings, Vanderbilt would again add to their lead. From the Alabama 36-yard line, Pavia found Junior Sherrill for the touchdown pass to again make it a nine-point game. But, this was not here for long, as Alabama quickly replied. A 58-yard touchdown pass from Milroe to 17-year-old star Ryan Williams again made it a two-point difference between the two teams going into the fourth quarter.
Vanderbilt would give themselves a small points cushion on their next drive. It could have been a lot more, as Richie Hoskins found the endzone for a 12-yard rushing touchdown. But, there was a penalty on this play, and the touchdown score was denied. In the end, the Commodores settled for a field goal from 33 yards out. This gave them a five-point lead, but with Alabama gaining possession, they could still lose this game.
But then, a pivotal moment happened. Jalen Milroe was sacked and then fumbled the ball, which the Commodores scooped up. From here, they were able to move the ball down to the Crimson Tide’s six-yard line, as well as take time off the clock. Then, Pavia found Kamrean Johnson for the TD pass at the six-yard line to make it a 12-point lead.
Alabama would have five minutes to score two touchdowns to prevent a massive upset. They were able to get the first one when Williams found the endzone for a two-yard rushing TD. But, with under three minutes left on the clock, the Crimson Tide would need to regain possession.
This would never happen, and the Vanderbilt Commodores would pull off a historic upset defeating the number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 40-35.
I have always said that Vanderbilt is not in the SEC to play football. However, sometimes the biggest upsets come from those who you don’t expect. The Commodores were perfect in this game, and continue what has been a good season for them. This is also their first-ever win against a team ranked number one. For Alabama, this shows the harsh reality of College Football. Last week, they were the best team in the country, now they failed to beat the so-called “easy win”. Vanderbilt improved to 3-2 (1-1 SEC) on the season, while Alabama fell to 4-1 (1-1 SEC) and will lose their number-one status next week, probably to Texas.
Next week, Vandy faces Kentucky, while Alabama plays South Carolina.
Missouri Misery
The number nine-ranked Missouri Tigers have a strong team to make the College Football Playoffs this season and could make a run in the SEC. However, while they come into their game with the number 25 ranked Texas A&M Aggies with an unbeaten record, the Tigers were only able to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores by three points last week. The Aggies are a team that should not be taken lightly, could they deliver the victory?
The Tigers did not have the best opening drive, turning the ball over on down to the Aggies on their 40-yard line. However, the Tigers were controversially denied a touchdown due to a strange call of pass inference against them. This removed any momentum in the drive and could explain why the turnover occurred.
This was something that A&M took advantage of. Quarterback Conner Weigmann was able to move the offense down to the Tigers’ one-yard line before Amari Daniels found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give the Aggies the early lead.
They would extend this lead on their next drive. This time, Weigman would bring the Aggies down to the Tigers’ 27-yard line, but no further. This set up kicker Randy Bond with a 44-yard field goal attempt, which he would be successful with.
The Aggies made it three from three on the following drive. In a similar way to the first drive, Texas A&M would be able to reach the Missouri one-yard line. From here, Daniels again found the endzone for his second TD of the game.
The scoring would continue for the Aggies on their next drive, when again down at the Tigers’ one-yard line, Le’Veon Moss would put the ball into the endzone to give the Aggies a convincing 24-0 lead at halftime. The Missouri Tigers have not even turned up yet and would need to an impressive comeback to win this game.
Unfortunately, the second half started in the worst way possible for them. The Aggies had the first possession in the second half, and it only took them one play to extend their already large lead. From their 25-yard line, Moss would record a 75-yard rushing touchdown to give Texas A&M a 31-point lead. Any chance of a comeback now seemed impossible for Missouri, they were now playing from pride.
However, one can’t play for pride if they keep on conceding points, and the Aggies juggernaut continued to do this on their next drive. The silver lining for Missouri is that this drive stalled at the Tigers’ 21-yard line, setting up a 38-yard field goal from Bond.
Then, Missouri finally put some offense together. In a drive that started on the Tigers’ 23-yard line, quarterback Brady Cook was able to move the ball down to their 41-yard line. From here, he found Theo Wease Jr for a 59-yard touchdown pass to give Missouri fans something to try to smile about.
But, this did not last long. A couple of drives later, Moss would score his third touchdown of the game. This time, it was an 18-yard rushing touchdown which only cemented their inevitable victory.
The Tigers were able to put a few more points on the board from a 23-yard field goal from kicker Blake Craig, but this did not affect anything. In the end, the number 25 ranked Texas A&M Aggies dominated the number nine ranked Missouri Tigers 41-10.
This was embarrassing for the Tigers. They have shown themselves to be a high-scoring offense, but that was not seen in this game. The Aggies were far stronger, especially on their run game, with Le’Veon Moss recording 138 yards and three touchdowns. This will put them into contention for both the SEC and the College Football Playoffs, at least for this week. With this time, Texas A&M improved to a 5-1 record (3-0 SEC), while the Tigers fell to 4-1 (1-1 SEC).
Next week, The Aggies are on a rest week, while Missouri will hope for an easy win against non-conference UMass.
Another Upset in the SEC
Staying in the SEC for another game, the number four ranked Tennessee Volunteers are another team that has come into this week with an undefeated record. They faced the Arkansas Razorbacks this week. With all the upsets that have been seen this week, could we see another one here?
The Razorbacks had the opening drive of the game and would be able to get some points from this. It was a long drive, 16 plays, and took nearly 10 minutes. In it, Razorbacks’ quarterback Taylen Green slowly moved his offense down to the Tennessee one-yard line. From here the drive stalled, setting up a 20-yard field goal from kicker Kyle Ramsay. He was successful with this, and Arkansas would have a small lead.
However, they held on to this for a while. After this drive, neither offense would be able to do anything with the ball. The only other highlight of the half would be a missed field goal from 44 yards out from Ramsey. It was not a good half if one likes offense.
But, this did mean that at halftime, the Razorbacks had a 3-0 lead over the Volunteers.
We would then finally get some action on the first drive of the season half. Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava was able to move his offense down to the Razorbacks’ four-yard line. From here, Dylan Sampson found the endzone for the rushing TD to give Tennessee the lead.
They would be able to add to this lead on their next drive. This drive would be very much similar to their previous drive, with Iamaleavea bringing the Volunteers down to the four-yard line, Then, just as before, Sampson found the endzone.
However, in reply to this, the Razorbacks would be able to quickly respond to keep themselves in the game. On the drive, Green was able to move the offense down to the Volunteers’ two-yard line. From here, Ja’Quinden Jackson found the endzone to make it a four-point game.
The four points became one point at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Green brought the Razorbacks down to the Volutneers’ two-yard line before Malachi Singleton fumbled the ball on what could have been a decisive third down. This put them back to the five-yard line, setting up kicker Matthew Shipley with a 23-yard field goal attempt. He was successful with this, putting Arkansas within touching distance of the lead.
However, for much of the final quarter, not a lot happened. It was only punts. You could even say that the Festival of Kicking has made its long-awaited return. But near the end of the half, the Razorbacks were able to strike a vital blow against the Volunteers.
From the Tennessee 11-yard line, Malachi Singleton made up for his previous mistake and found the endzone, This gave the Razorbacks a five-point lead. They decided to go for two, but this failed. This meant that on the final drive of the game, Tennessee would only need to find the endzone to record the win.
This drive started from the Volunteers’ 25-yard line, and Iamaleava was able to make it down to the Razorbacks’ 20-yard line. Here, they had one chance to find the endzone. On this play, Iamaleavea ran with the ball a grand total of four yards.
The Arkansas Razorbacks had defeated the number four ranked Tennessee Volunteers 19-14.
This was another upset in the SEC this week. The conference is now wide open. With the loss for Tennessee, they fall to 4-1 (1-1 SEC), while the victory gives Arkansas a 4-2 (2-1 SEC) record. Next week, the Razorbacks are on a rest week, while the Volunteers face Florida in the rival known as the “Third Saturday in September”. It will be the “Second Saturday in October” when these teams play.
What happened to the other ranked teams?
Iowa @ #3 Ohio State
After all of the craziness this week, the number three-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes hoped for an easy game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. This is exactly what happened, as the Hawkeyes again struggled on offense. Buckeyes QB Will Howard threw four TDs in their 35-7 win.
Auburn @ #5 Georgia
The number five ranked Georgia Bulldogs hoped to bounce back after their defeat the Alabama last week when they faced the Auburn Tigers. The Bulldogs were able to convincingly do this. Carson Beck threw for 240 yards and two TDs, and Georgia recorded a 31-13 victory. To further sweeten the win, after this game finished, fans and players found out about what Vanderbilt was doing to Alabama. The Dawgs are back in it.
Michigan State @ #6 Oregon
The number six ranked Oregon Ducks continued their good start in the Big Ten after an average start to the season this week when they faced the Michigan State Spartans. Ducks QB Dilon Gabriel threw for two TDs in the 31-10 win to be one of the few teams to continue being undefeated.
UCLA @ #7 Penn State
The number seven-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions faced the UCLA Bruins this week. Penn State games are never thrilling, but they get the job done. A 27-11 win was all they needed to remain unbeaten.
#8 Miami @ California
The number eight-ranked Miami Hurricanes were lucky to still be unbeaten after last week. This week, they faced the California Golden Bears. At one point in the third quarter, California had a 25-point advantage over the Hurricanes and looked set to record another upset in this week’s action. However, Cam Ward lead a comeback, throwing for 437 yards in total to record a narrow 39-38 victory. The last two weeks have been close games for Miami, and it only seems a matter of time before they lose.
#10 Michigan @ Washington
The number ten-ranked Michigan Wolverines faced the Washington Huskies in a rematch of the 2024 National Championship game. This one was completely different from that game. Washington pulled away in the fourth quarter to record a 27-17 victory over the Wolverines, whose dreams of making the College Football Playoffs may now be over with this defeat.
#11 USC @ Minnesota
The number 11 ranked USC Trojans faced the Minnesota Golden Gophers this week. All the Trojans had to do was avoid an upset. Minnesota did not get this message, with a late touchdown from Max Brosmer giving the Golden Gophers a 24-17 upset win. Add another one to the list.
#12 Ole Miss @ South Carolina
After last week’s shock loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, the number 12-ranked Ole Miss Rebels got back into contention with a victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks. Nose tackle JJ Pegues scored two one-yard rushing touchdowns in the Rebels 27-3 victory.
#15 Clemson @ Florida State
The number 15 ranked Clemson Tigers faced the struggling Florida State Seminoles this week. With the Seminoles making a change at QB, with Brock Glenn now in, could we see another upset? No. Clemson was dominant in this game but Glenn was able to show that he is a good quarterback, and should be the starter for the rest of the now meaningless season for the Seminoles. Clemson won the game 29-13, to further their grip on the ACC.
Baylor @ #16 Iowa State
The number 16 ranked Iowa State Cyclones faced the Baylor Bears this week. The Cyclones came into the game with an undefeated record and left with it as well. Rocco Becht threw for 277 yards and two TDs as the Cyclones cruised to a 43-21 victory.
Utah State @ #21 Boise State
The number 21 ranked Boise State Broncos faced the Utah State Aggies this week. Ashton Jeanty had another good game, recording 186 yards and scoring three touchdowns as the Broncos delivered one of the only blowout wins of the weekend, with a 62-30 rout of Utah State. Jeanty may now be thinking of where he may want to put his Heisman Trophy because if he continues like this, he should be in serious contention for the award.
SMU @ #22 Louisville
The number 22 ranked Louisville Cardinals faced the SMU Mustangs this week. This game was all about Mustangs QB Kevin Jennings. He had the best game of his career, throwing for 281 yards and rushing for 113 yards as the Mustangs recorded a 34-27 victory. This was another ranked team losing to an unranked team, but the Mustangs are strong enough to the ranked, which they should be next week.
#23 Indiana @ Northwestern
A team that is not getting enough attention is the Indiana Hoosiers. They are ranked for the first time this season and have an unbeaten record coming into the game with the Northwestern Wildcats. But as we have seen this week, having an unbeaten record means nothing. Luckily for the Hoosiers, they left Chicago with it intact. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke threw for 380 yards and three TDs as they recorded a 41-24 win.
Syracuse @ #25 UNLV
The number 25 ranked UNLV Rebels were another team that came into the week with an undefeated record. They faced the Syracuse Orange in what was a classic. Orange QB Kyle McCord threw for 355 yards and three TDs as the two teams forced overtime. A one-yard rushing TD from LeQuint Allen gave the Orange a 44-41 win, meaning that UNLV joined the list of teams who lost their undefeated record this week.
Upset is the best word to describe Week 6 of the 2024 College Football season. We saw so many, all of which will affect the College Football Playoffs. Next week, it is a star-studded menu. The Ohio State Buckeyes face the Oregon Ducks, Florida faces Tennessee, LSU plays Ole Miss, and the Red River Showdown between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners.
