Last week, another team lost their undefeated season, leaving only a handful. Many of them played this week. How many would end the week with it still intact? So, how did the Texas A&M Aggies, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Indiana Hoosiers (among others) fare in Week 9 of the 2024 season?
The Aggies Feast on the Tigers’ Mistakes
The number eight-ranked LSU Tigers have made their way into CFP consideration after losing their season’s opening game against USC. In contrast, the number 14 ranked Texas A&M Aggies have been almost perfect and come into this game with an undefeated record against their fellow SEC teams. This has put them ahead of Georgia, Texas, and Alabama in the standings. Could they continue this form?
Both teams did not start the game well, but the Tigers scored the first points. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier took the offense to the Aggies’ six-yard line before the drive stalled. This set up kicker Damian Ramos’s 23-yard field goal attempt, which he was successful with.
LSU would not be without the ball for long. On the third play of the Aggies’ next drive, quarterback Conner Weigman found Le’Veon Moss for an 11-yard pass. However, Miss fumbled the ball, which was scooped up by the Tigers’ defense and returned to the 21-yard line.
From here, Nussmeier brought the ball down to the Aggies’ two-yard line and then found Mason Taylor for the touchdown pass.
The Aggies could recover from their previous mistake and score a touchdown themselves. This came from a seven-yard run from Moss.
LSU tried to extend their lead on the first play of the second quarter, but Ramos’ field goal from 48 yards missed. However, this lead would be extended on their next drive, when Nussmeier found Aaron Anderson for a 76-yard touchdown pass.
Another missed field goal from Ramos to follow this, and the Aggies offense that could not do a lot meant that the Tigers had a 17-7 lead at halftime.
The second half started poorly, with the first three drives ending in punts. But then, the Tigers made a big mistake.
On their 21-yard line, Nussmeier threw an interception, which was returned by the Aggies’ defense to the eight-yard line. With excellent field position, Texas A&M was able to capitalize on this, with Marcel Reed scoring the touchdown.
The mistakes kept coming for LSU. On their next drive, the offense went down to the Aggies’ 29-yard line. But they would fumble the ball here on an important fourth-down attempt. In response, Weigmann and company could again move the ball down to the LSU eight-yard line, where Reed scored the touchdown to take the lead.
Nussmeier was intercepted on the next Tigers’ drive, again leading to a touchdown. This again came from Marcel Reed, whose four-yard rushing touchdown was his third of the game.
LSU finally had some luck beginning the fourth quarter. The Tigers’ offense slowly moved down to the Aggies’ one-yard line. From here, Nussmeier scored the rushing touchdown that kept them in the game.
But, the reduced led for Texas A&M did not last long. On the next drive, they quickly descended to the Tigers’ three-yard line. Here, Moss found the endzone for a three-yard rushing touchdown.
A familiar story then happened. Nusmeier threw an interception that the Aggies converted into points. This time, it was not a touchdown but a field goal. Randy Bond scored a 26-yard field goal to seal a 38-23 victory for the 14-ranked Texas A&M Aggies over the eight-ranked LSU Tigers.
This game was billed as the “battle for the number one spot in the SEC.” After this game, it is clear who owns this. The Tigers’ high number of turnovers cost them the game and maybe their season. The defeat means they fall to 6-2 (3-1 SEC), while the Aggies’ victory means they improve to 7-1 (5-0 SEC) and are the only undefeated team in conference play.
Next week, the Aggies face South Carolina, while LSU is on a rest week.
Texas Defeat Vandy (Just)
Last week, the number five-ranked Texas Longhorns suffered their first defeat of the season to the Georgia Bulldogs in a poor performance from the Austin-based side. This week, they faced the number 25 Vanderbilt Commodores. The Commodores are this season’s surprise package and are not an easy win. They defeated Alabama; could they do the same against Texas?
The Longhorns did not start the game well. On the opening drive, Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers threw an interception in his territory, which the Commodores took advantage of. A few plays later, Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia found the endzone for an 18-yard rushing touchdown to give them an early lead.
But this lead did not last long. Shaking off his prior mistake, Ewers brought the Texas offense down to the Commodores’ three-yard line. From here, he found Matthew Golden for the touchdown pass.
On their next drive, this lead was extended when Ewers found DeAndre Moore for a 27-yard touchdown pass. In response to this, Pavia would throw an interception. Luckily for Vanderbilt, the Longhorns were unable to convert this into points.
However, Texas was able to increase its lead on its next drive when Ewers again found Moore, this time for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
The Commodores would be able to get the final points of the half. Pavia’s drive stalled at the Longhorns’ 36-yard line, setting up kicker Brock Taylor with a 54-yard field goal attempt. He was successful with this meaning at halftime; the Longhorns had a 21-10 lead over Vanderbilt.
Texas extended their lead early in the second quarter. Their drive stalled at the Commodores’ 22-yard line, which Longhorns’ kicker Bert Auburn was able to convert into a 40-yard field goal.
But soon after this, the Longhorns made a vital mistake. Ewers’ was intercepted for the second time in this game, and from this, as they did before, Vanderbilt turned their possession into points. Pavia found Junior Sherrill for a three-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-possession game. Could another upset be on the cards?
For most of the fourth quarter, both teams’ drives could not go anywhere. Then, with under two minutes to go, it was the Longhorns who broke the monotony and potentially won the game. The Texas drive stalled at the Vanderbilt five-yard line, setting up Auburn with a 23-yard field goal attempt. He made this, extending the Longhorns’ lead to 10 points.
From this point, it look like the Commodores would lose this game. But they were able to score one more touchdown to give them pride (and potentially keep their spot in the top 25 next week). Texas originally looked like the team that would score after intercepting a pass and returning it to the endzone. But a penalty against the Longhorns stripped that from the record. In the end, Pavia found Eli Stowers for an eight-yard touchdown pass, but it was not enough in the grand scheme.
Ultimately, the number five Texas Longhorns defeated the 25-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores 27-24.
Texas was not lucky to win this game, but their victory could have been far more convincing if a few mistakes were not made. But a win is a win, and the Longhorns improve to 7-1 (3-1 SEC). For Vanderbilt, this game shows that they are a legit team this year, and they should have a few more wins. They fall to 5-3 (2-2 SEC)
Next week, Texas is on a rest week, while Vanderbilt faces Auburn.
Invincible Indiana
The number 13 ranked Indiana Hoosiers is among the few undefeated teams left in College Football. They have been having a very good season and are more than in the running for a spot in the CFP and even a spot in the Big Ten Championship game if things remain the way they are. They faced the Washington Huskies this week. Last year’s national championship game losers are having a tough start to life in the Big Ten. What would happen here?
The game did not start well for either team, with both struggling to find an offense. But the Huskies made the game’s first mistake. Quarterback Will Rogers threw an interception, which was returned to the endzone for a pick-six touchdown, giving Indiana an early lead.
That was the only notable highlight for a while—until the beginning of the second quarter when Rogers’ pass was again intercepted. In response, the Hoosiers were able to extend their lead further. A 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tayven Jackson to Omar Cooper was all needed to give Indiana a two-score lead.
But this did not last long. On the next drive, Rogers moved the Washington offense down to the Hoosiers’ six-yard line. From here, Giles Jackson found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
The Hoosiers extended their lead from the last drive of the first half. Indiana took seven minutes to go from their 37-yard line to the Huskies’ one-yard line, where the drive stalled. This set up kicker Nicolas Radicic with a 19-yard field goal attempt. He was successful with this, meaning Indiana had a 17-7 lead over the Huskies at halftime.
The second half did not start well for the Hoosiers. On the first play of the half, Jackson’s pass was intercepted by the Huskies’ defense. The offense capitalized on this, and the resulting drive ended in an eight-yard rushing touchdown from Desmond Williams. This made it a one-possession game.
In reply to this, the Hoosiers were able to extend their lead. In another long drive, Indiana went from their 25-yard line to the Huskies’ five-yard line. From here, Justice Ellison found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to increase their lead to 10 points.
The lead would grow a few drives later when Jackson would find the endzone on a two-yard run. In response, the Huskies scored a field goal, as kicker Grady Gross found the uprights from 23 yards out.
Six minutes remained, and the Hoosiers held onto the ball until the time ran out. This meant the 13th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers had defeated the Washington Huskies 31-17.
This was not the best game, but it was a significant game. The Hoosiers are still undefeated and improve to 8-0 (5-0 Big Ten). The last time they did this was in 1967, and this took them to the Rose Bowl, where they were defeated by the number one-ranked USC Trojans. At this rate, they might find themselves back at the Rose Bowl. The Huskies fall to 4-4 (2-3 Big Ten) with the defeat.
Next week, the Hoosiers hope to continue their undefeated season when they face Michigan State, while Washington is on a rest week.
What happened to the Other Ranked Teams?
#20 Illinois @ #1 Oregon
The new number-one-ranked team is the Oregon Ducks. This week, they faced the number 20-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini in an essential game for Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel. He scored three touchdowns in the game, which put him second on the all-time passing touchdown list. He needs 13 more to overtake Chase Keenum to become the record holder. Oregon cruised to a 38-9 win, keeping the number one rank and the undefeated season.
#3 Penn State @ Wisconsin
The number three-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions continued to be Oregon’s closest rival with their victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was injured in this game and may not return for next week’s big clash with Ohio State. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula led his team to a 28-13 win to keep their undefeated season going.
Nebraska @ #4 Ohio State
The number four-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes faced the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a close game. The Cornhuskers were in the lead late in the fourth quarter, but a nine-yard touchdown pass from Will Howard to Quinshon Judkins gave the Buckeyes a 21-17 win. It’s a sloppy performance from the Buckeyes here.
Florida State @ #6 Miami
The number six-ranked Miami Hurricanes face an easy game this week against the Florida State Seminoles. They won this game 36-14, keeping the winning season going and piling on the misery for the Seminoles, who have only won one game this year.
#11 BYU @ UCF
The number 11-ranked BYU Cougars are one of the stronger teams in the Big 12 this season, and this week, they faced the UCF Knights. BYU’s Jewish quarterback (the college is heavily associated with the Mormon Church), Jake Retzlaff, threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns as the Cougars defeated the Knights 37-24. This keeps their undefeated season alive, and they could be an underdog to win the CFP.
#12 Notre Dame @ #24 Navy
In a game held at MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants (and Jets), the number 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish faced the undefeated number 24 ranked Navy Midshipmen. The Navy sank in this game. They made many mistakes and turned the ball over six times. The Fighting Irish recorded a 51-14 win, which ended the Navy’s undefeated season and maybe their CFP hopes.
#21 Missouri @ #15 Alabama
After their defeat to Tennessee last week, the number 15-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide faced the number 21-ranked Missouri Tigers. This is the lowest Alabama has been ranked since week 13 of the 2010 season, when they were ranked number 17, but they did not play the week after. The lowest they have played ranked lower than number 15 was the opening of the 2008 season. Jumping forward to 2024, they easily defeated Missouri 34-0 without quarterback Brady Cook.
Kansas @ #16 Kansas State
This week brought us the battle of Kansas, as the number 16-ranked Kansas State Wildcats faced the Kansas Jayhawks. This was a close game that went down to the final play. Kansas State stopped a vital fourth-down attempt from the Jayhawks to record a 29-27 win.
#17 Boise State @ UNLV
The number 17-ranked Boise State Broncos faced the UNLV Rebels. Heisman Trophy contender Ashton Jeanty helped his cause by recording 128 rushing yards and scoring one touchdown. This touchdown was the winning score, giving the Broncos a 29-24 win, which puts them in prime position for the Mountain West championship and the first-round bye in the CFP.
Oklahoma @ #18 Ole Miss
The number 18 ranked Ole Miss Rebels faced the Oklahoma Sooners. Both teams needed to win this game, but the Rebels emerged victorious. A solid third quarter they sealed a 26-14 win for Lane Kiffin’s team over the Sooners.
Syracuse @ #19 Pittsburgh
The number 19 ranked (and still undefeated) Pittsburgh Panthers faced the Syracuse Orange this week. Orange quarterback Kyle McCord seemed to regress to his Ohio State days in this game, throwing five interceptions from 64 pass attempts. The Panthers scored three pick-sixes in this game as they cruised to an easy 41-13 win, keeping their undefeated season alive and becoming a contender for the ACC.
#22 SMU @ Duke
The 22nd-ranked SMU Mustangs and the Duke Blue Devils are having good seasons. The game between them went to overtime, and a failed two-point conversion cost Duke victory. SMU won the game 28-27, keeping their undefeated record in the ACC alive and staying in contention for the championship game, pending a slip-up from Miami, Clemson, or Pittsburgh.
Honorable Mention
Kennesaw State vs Liberty
This is the first season that the Kennesaw State Owls have played at the FBS level. They have struggled, but this is to be expected at the moment. This week, they faced the Liberty Flames, one of the more substantial groups of five teams, who (if Boise State were not as strong as they were) would be the favorite to make the CFP. They are also on a 17-game regular season winning streak. This streak is over, as the Owls defeated the Flames 27-24 to give them their first-ever victory at this level. History was made on a Wednesday night in Georgia.
So, that was week 9 in the 2024 College Football season. Next week, the game of the week is Ohio State vs. Penn State. But we also see if Army can continue its undefeated season against Air Force, and the Oregon Ducks face Michigan.
