College Football: Winners and Losers from Week 5

Morgan MoriartyOctober 2, 2022

College Football: Winners and Losers from Week 5

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    Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin talks with an official during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Mississippi won 22-19. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)
    Lane Kiffin. AP Photo/Thomas Graning

    In a loaded Week 5 slate, this weekend's college football games did not disappoint. On Friday night, UCLA moved to 5-0 and upset No. 15 Washington 40-32 at home.

    That Pac-12 showdown served as the perfect appetizer to Saturday's noon ET slate. No. 14 Ole Miss defeated No. 7 Kentucky at home 22-19. Undefeated TCU beat up on No. 18 Oklahoma 55-24. Purdue upset No. 21 Minnesota 20-10 in the Big Ten.

    In the 3:30 slate, No. 2 Alabama survived a scare against No. 20 Arkansas, as quarterback Bryce Young left the game with an injury, but the Crimson Tide still won 49-26. No. 9 Oklahoma State remained unbeaten, as it took care of No. 16 Baylor 36-25, and No. 22 Wake Forest beat No. 23 Florida State in Tallahassee 31-21.

    In the night slate, No. 5 Clemson remained unbeaten, defeating No. 10 NC State 30-20 at home. No. 1 Georgia narrowly escaped against Missouri, winning 26-22. LSU also came from behind to beat Auburn 21-17.

    Let's run through Week 5's winners and losers.

Winner: Chip Kelly and Dorian Thompson-Robinson Have UCLA Rolling

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    PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 30:  Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins jumps over Kamren Fabiculanan #13 of the Washington Huskies in the second quarter at Rose Bowl Stadium on September 30, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
    Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

    It's taken five seasons, but it looks like Chip Kelly has finally figured things out at UCLA. The Bruins moved to 5-0 with a 40-32 win over No. 15 Washington at the Rose Bowl. With the victory, there are now just two undefeated teams remaining in the Pac-12: UCLA and Lincoln Riley's USC team.

    The biggest performance of the night came from senior Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who completed 72.7 percent of his passes while throwing for 315 yards and three touchdowns. He added 53 yards on the ground, including this jaw-dropping hurdle of a Washington defender:

    Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

    THIS HURDLE WAS WILD 🤯🤯<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/UCLAFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UCLAFootball</a>)<a href="https://t.co/dvU37FBeK3">pic.twitter.com/dvU37FBeK3</a>

    Running back Zach Charbonnet added 124 yards and a touchdown.

    Perhaps the patience from UCLA regarding Kelly's tenure in Los Angeles has paid off. The Bruins' 8-4 record in 2021 marked the first time UCLA finished above .500 under Kelly. Even during last season's wild coaching carousel, the Bruins stuck firm with their head coach.

    Dating back to last season, this win marks the eighth straight victory for the Bruins, their longest undefeated stretch since 2005. They've put up at least 40 points seven times during this streak.

    Next week, UCLA will host No. 12 Utah. It's still early in the season, but it looks like the program might be a sleeping contender in the conference. It still has to face Oregon, USC and Cal before the season's over, but if Kelly can defeat Lincoln Riley's USC team as the Pac-12 champion, that would be a huge statement for Kelly and the Bruins.

    It's a long season, but keep your eye on UCLA this year, folks.

Loser: Oklahoma's Preseason Hype

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    FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Davis Beville #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners is brought down by Linebacker Dee Winters #13 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 1, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Emil Lippe/Getty Images)
    Davis Beville. Emil Lippe/Getty Images

    Boomer Sooner has fallen mightily.

    The preseason No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners looked like the Big 12's best chance to make it into the College Football Playoff, but it has already dropped to 0-2 in Big 12 play. Coming off of a 41-34 loss to Kansas State last week, the Sooners fell 55-24 to TCU on the road on Saturday despite entering as a four-point favorite.

    This game was pretty over with from the start. TCU led 27-10 at the end of the first quarter and went to the locker room with a 41-17 lead. The Horned Frogs never really let off the gas in the last two quarters and won by 31 points.

    What's worse? Oklahoma may have lost its star quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, but it's unclear for how long. While he was trying to slide in the second quarter, the QB took a big shot to the head and did not return.

    Horned Frogs linebacker Jamoi Hodge was flagged for unnecessary roughness and ejected from the game for the hit. Gabriel was replaced by backup Davis Beville, who went 7-of-16 passing for 50 yards.

    Oklahoma fell to 3-2 on the season, and the Sooners' toughest stretch of the season hasn't even arrived yet. They get Texas in the Red River Showdown next week before facing undefeated Kansas on Oct. 15.

    The Sooners then go on the road to face Iowa State, a home game against Baylor on Nov. 5 before a road game against West Virginia. Oklahoma finishes out the season with Oklahoma State at home followed by a road game against Texas Tech.

    Before the season started, it looked like new head coach Brent Venables was primed to pick up where Lincoln Riley left off in Norman, but Oklahoma fans might have to practice some patience. For a team that hasn't lost more than two games since 2014, that might be easier said than done.

Winner: Ole Miss' Defense vs. Kentucky

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    OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 01: Kentucky quarterback Will Levis (7) is brought down by Ole' Miss defensive end Tavius Robinson (95) during the college football game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Ole' Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, MS. (Photo by Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
    Will Levis. Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    Ole Miss and Kentucky met in Oxford in a clash of unbeaten SEC teams on Saturday afternoon. While the outcome was expected to be defined by two juggernaut offenses, it was actually Ole Miss' defense that won the game. The Rebels' defense forced two turnovers off of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, both of which came late in the game.

    This game was tied at 19 before Ole Miss kicker Jonathan Cruz made a 26-yard field goal to give his team a 22-19 lead with 2:19 left in the third quarter.

    With 10:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, Kentucky started what looked like it could be either a game-tying or game-leading drive. Levis and the Wildcats offense drove down to Ole Miss' 19-yard line, but on 3rd-and-2, Levis fumbled while trying to run for the first down and was recovered by Ole Miss' AJ Finley.

    Kentucky's defense forced an Ole Miss three-and-out to give the Wildcats one last shot to win the game. Levis drove down his offense once again deep into Rebels' territory with less than a minute left.

    With 1st-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Levis threw what was initially a game-winning touchdown, but the play was blown dead due to an illegal motion penalty. On the very next play, Ole Miss sacked Levis and forced another fumble to give the Rebels the victory.

    If Kentucky wants to be a threat to Georgia in the SEC East, taking care of the football will be key moving forward.

Loser: Aaron Judge Live Look-Ins During CFB Games

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    Screencap via Twitter/@nocontextcfb

    I'm not sure why ESPN thought it was going to be a good idea to do live look-ins of Aaron Judge at-bats during college football games. But this is absolutely infuriating. Across all ESPN networks Saturday afternoon, it chose to hijack live college football games to broadcast Aaron Judge at-bats for the New York Yankees.

    Yes, I am aware that Judge was attempting to break the American League home run record (62), but if I wanted to watch baseball, I would be!

    ESPN first did this last weekend, before Judge had tied Maris' record Wednesday night against the Blue Jays. Naturally, college football Twitter reacted very calmly to Judge once again interrupting games Saturday afternoon:

    Brett McMurphy @Brett_McMurphy

    Weird stat: Aaron Judge has never hit his 62nd home run when ESPN interrupts a college football game 🤷🏻‍♂️

    Mike Golic Jr @mikegolicjr

    College Football fans after another live cut-in to Aaron Judge at the plate <a href="https://t.co/4g1oWC23Wu">pic.twitter.com/4g1oWC23Wu</a>

    And The Athletic's Chris Vannini with a very important takeaway on the Judge at-bats during college football games:

    Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini

    If you only watched Aaron Judge via college football cut-ins, you would think he is terrible.

    I mean, he's not wrong!

    Brice Paterik 🌟 @BricePaterik

    Aaron Judge while being simulcast on college football games the past 2 weeks: <br><br>2-11, 7 BB, 1 HBP, 6 K, 0 home runs<br><br>.181/.526/.181 slash line

    This, by far, was the best Judge college football joke, from TCU:

    TCU Football @TCUFootball

    Who hits 62 first? <br><br>Like for TCU <br>RT for Aaron Judge <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoFrogs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoFrogs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DFWBig12Team?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DFWBig12Team</a>

    Unfortunately, TCU did not get to 62 before Judge did, even though it looked like it might.

    Hopefully these Judge look-ins don't continue the rest of the season. Unfortunately, the Yankees have the No. 2 seed in the American League East, so there's a chance they might in October.

    We'll get through this together, college football fans. At the very least, we can tweet through it.

Winner: Alabama, Even Without Bryce Young

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    FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - OCTOBER 01: Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide rolls out looking for a receiver in the first half and is pressured by Drew Sanders #42 of the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 01, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
    Bryce Young. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

    Man, Alabama survived a potential worst-case-scenario game Saturday against Arkansas. In the second quarter as the Tide led the Razorbacks 14-0, starting quarterback Bryce Young left the game with a shoulder sprain and has since been ruled day-to-day, per head coach Nick Saban.

    Alabama's backup quarterback, true freshman Jalen Milroe, came in for Young in the second quarter. He finished with 65 yards passing and a touchdown, to go with 91 yards on the ground and another score.

    In the second half of this game, Arkansas came dangerously close to tying this one up. AJ Green scored a 13-yard touchdown to make it a 28-14 game with 7:47 left in the third quarter. The Hogs then recovered an onside kick, and kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 28-17. On Alabama's attempted punt on its ensuing possession, a botched snap gave Arkansas the ball back on Alabama's 3-yard line. Arkansas scored a touchdown to make it 28-23 heading into the fourth.

    Luckily, Bama being Bama meant it relied on playmakers outside of Young to put this game away. The Tide scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, including two touchdowns from running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

    Alabama won by a final score of 49-26.

    It's unclear how bad Young's shoulder injury is, but the fact that he wasn't seen in a sling on the sideline might be a good sign. It's also entirely possible that Young could have gone back in, if absolutely necessary, but Alabama kept Arkansas out of reach long enough so that he didn't have to.

    Next week, Alabama plays Texas A&M at home, followed by a road game against Tennessee before closing out October with Mississippi State at home. To open November, Alabama has back-to-back road trips to LSU and Ole Miss. The Tide will need Young fully healthy if they want to win the SEC West again.

Loser: Jimbo Fisher to Mississippi State for the 2nd Time in 2 Seasons

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    Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher look son as he paces the sidelines during an NCAA football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
    Jimbo Fisher. AP Photo/Vasha Hunt

    We're still less than a year removed from Texas A&M's shocking upset of Alabama last season. And Texas A&M's 2022 season has gone quite differently through five weeks.

    The Aggies were upset 17-14 at home against App State in Week 2. Texas A&M rebounded with a 17-9 win over Miami in Week 3 before beating Arkansas last week, thanks to a Razorbacks' doinked game-winning field-goal attempt.

    But in Week 5, Texas A&M lost 42-24 to Mississippi State in Starkville in a game that wasn't even truly close. The Bulldogs led 14-0 after the second quarter, and they were up 21-10 heading into the fourth. MSU scored another three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while its defense held TAMU to 14 points.

    This now marks the second time in two seasons that Texas A&M has lost to Mississippi State. A week before the Alabama game last year, the Aggies fell 26-22 to Mississippi State at home.

    With the loss to the Bulldogs this season, it marks the first time since the 2016-18 stretch that Mississippi State has defeated Texas A&M in consecutive years. Another fun fact: Texas A&M has paid Jimbo Fisher $18 million over the last two seasons to lose twice to Mississippi State. Numbers are fun!

Winner/Loser: Syracuse and 10-Minute Quarters?!

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    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 01: Junior Wily #42 of the Wagner Seahawks attempts to tackle Sean Tucker #34 of the Syracuse Orange during the second quarter at JMA Wireless Dome on October 01, 2022 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
    Sean Tucker. Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

    Syracuse moved to 5-0 on the season with a 59-0 victory over FCS Wagner at home on Saturday.

    The Orange led 21-0 after the first quarter and were up 49-0 at halftime. In what was a rare decision, Syracuse announced at halftime that both teams agreed to shorten the quarters in the second half from 15 minutes to 10.

    Syracuse Football @CuseFootball

    The two teams have agreed to play 10-minute quarters in the second half.

    But despite being up by 49 points, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers kept his starters in and potentially risked the health of the Orange's star running back Sean Tucker.

    Tucker rushed for a career-high 232 yards, 227 of which came in the first half. He also accounted for three touchdowns entering halftime.

    On Cuse's first offensive snap of the second half, Tucker left the field after a five-yard carry and subsequently entered the injury tent. He did not return for the rest of the game.

    After the game, Babers told reporters he thinks Tucker is OK:

    emily leiker @emleiker

    Dino Babers says there was no conversation/consideration of pulling the offensive starters any earlier in the game than they were. <br><br>“I believe (Tucker’s) okay,” he says in another answer. “We’ll continue to move on.”

    Hopefully, Tucker's injury isn't too serious and keeping him out of the game was both a precaution and the fact that he wasn't needed. Tucker has rushed for 646 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Last year, he had a breakout season, finishing with 1,496 yards and 12 touchdowns.

    Syracuse will need Tucker full-go over the next few weeks, as the Orange face NC State, Clemson and Notre Dame during October.

Winner: Illinois Looks Like the Big Ten West's Strongest Team

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    Illinois head coach Bret Bielema walks off the field following a 34-10 win over Wisconsin in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
    Bret Bielema. AP Photo/Kayla Wolf

    Folks, Bret Bielema's Illinois team is looking good. No, this is not a drill, nor is it a joke. Through five weeks of the season, Illinois is 4-1 and in a five-way tie atop the Big Ten West.

    On Saturday, Illinois made a statement with a 34-10 victory over Wisconsin. The Fighting Illini led 14-10 at halftime but scored 20 unanswered points in the second half.

    Shutting out Wisconsin in the second half is just one reason why this Illini defense is so good. Entering Saturday, Bielema's defense ranked fourth in both total and scoring defense, allowing just eight points per game.

    Per ESPN's SP+ rankings, the unit checked in at 24th nationally. The secondary, which had ranked 10th nationally in passing defense before the game, now has eight interceptions after picking off Wisconsin's Graham Mertz twice during Saturday's win.

    The defense is led by defensive linemen Jer'Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph Jr., who have combined for 53 total tackles and six sacks on the season so far.

    Illinois' schedule sets up pretty nicely moving forward, too. It gets back-to-back home games against Iowa and then Minnesota before traveling to play a struggling Nebraska team. The Fighting Illini return to Champaign for contests against Michigan State and Purdue, then closes the year with road games against Michigan and Northwestern.

    The Purdue, Minnesota and Iowa games look like the most important, given the current divisional standings. But the rest of that slate looks pretty manageable if this defense keeps playing like it has been.

    Perhaps Bielema and Co. going to Indianapolis as the Big Ten West's representative might not be that far off.

Loser: Auburn Turned the Ball over Four Times to Blow a 17-0 Lead Against LSU

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    Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin reacts on the sideline in the first half of an NCAA college football game against LSU, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
    Bryan Harsin. AP Photo/John Bazemore

    Bryan Harsin's seat just got a little hotter at Auburn. It sure looked like Auburn was about to get a third-straight victory over LSU early on Saturday night. Auburn jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 9:38 left following a 29-yard field goal from Anders Carlson.

    But LSU scored 14 unanswered points in the last seven minutes of the second quarter, including a 23-yard defensive touchdown scored off a fumble by Auburn QB Robby Ashford.

    On Auburn's ensuing possession, the Tigers missed a 40-yard field goal. LSU QB Jayden Daniels scored a 1-yard touchdown run to send his team to the locker room down just three.

    The change in momentum carried into the second half when John Emery Jr. scored on a 21-yard touchdown run with 3:32 left in the third quarter to give LSU a 21-17 lead.

    Auburn continued to shoot itself in the foot by committing three more turnovers, including two interceptions from Ashford. After forcing a fourth down with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter, Auburn gave the ball right back to LSU after muffing a punt.

    Even as Auburn's defense forced and recovered an LSU fumble on the ensuing possession, Ashford's last interception of the night cost Auburn the game. Also, this statistic is pretty impressive for LSU, but it's definitely embarrassing for Auburn fans:

    Brody Miller @BrodyAMiller

    <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LSU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LSU</a> just won an SEC road game passing for just five yards the entire second half. <br><br>Five.

    The win gives LSU a 4-1 start to the season and a 2-0 jump in SEC West play. Auburn, meanwhile, could have desperately used a home win before a brutal stretch. Over the next five weeks, Auburn will play at Georgia, at Ole Miss, against Arkansas following a bye, and concluding with a road trip to Mississippi State on Nov. 5.

    We'll see how long Harsin lasts as Auburn's head coach.

Winner: Clemson's Run Game with DJ Uiagalelei Getting More Involved

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    CLEMSON, SC - OCTOBER 01: Clemson Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) stretches the ball over the goal line to score a touchdown late in the second quarter during a college football game between the N.C. State Wolfpack and the Clemson Tigers on October 1, 2022 at Clemson Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
    DJ Uiagalelei. John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    No. 5 Clemson took care of business against No. 10 NC State at home. With College GameDay in town and playing in ABC's primetime slot of the week, the Tigers beat NC State 30-20 to boost their chances of making it back to the ACC Championship after failing to win the conference last year for the first time since 2014.

    NC State knocked off the Tigers last season, but Clemson avenged that loss on Saturday night in Death Valley. This game was pretty close throughout, though. Clemson led 13-10 at halftime and got out to a 20-10 lead off a Uiagalelei seven-yard touchdown pass. Clemson scored 10 points in the fourth quarter while holding the Wolfpack to a late touchdown to win by 10.

    Clemson's run game looks much improved from last season, and that starts with running back Will Shipley, who has 413 yards and seven touchdowns so far this season.

    But a lot of the credit for the improvement also goes to how much Uiagalelei is contributing on the ground. Last season, the QB had just 308 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. This season, he has 242 yards and three touchdowns following a 14-carry, 73-yard performance that included two rushing scores against the Wolfpack.

    Entering Saturday, the Tigers were averaging 183.5 rush yards on the ground per game. Obviously, this doesn't sound like a dominant run game, checking in at 47th nationally. But it's better than last season, when Clemson finished 58th nationally, averaging 168 yards on the ground per game.

    It's still pretty early in the season, so Uiagalalei's should be able to set career bests in every rushing statistic.

Loser: No. 1 Georgia Let a 2-2 Missouri Team Hang Around for Four Quarters

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    Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh (6) runs with the ball as Missouri defensive back Martez Manuel defends during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
    Kenny McIntosh. AP Photo/L.G. Patterson

    It looked like the defending national champions could be on upset alert on Saturday night for most of its game against Missouri. The Tigers led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and went to the locker room at halftime up 16-6.

    Tigers kicker Harrison Mevis, who was an impressive 5-for-5 on field goals on the night, put his team up 22-12 early in the fourth quarter with a 56-yard field goal.

    But Georgia's offense finally came alive in the fourth quarter when it needed to. After Mizzou's defense held the Dawgs to field goals all night, Georgia capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a Kendall Milton touchdown run to cut Mizzou's lead to three with 9:39 left.

    The Dawgs then ruined Missouri's chances for an upset with a go-ahead touchdown scored with 4:03 left. Georgia escaped Columbia with a 26-22 lead, entering the game as 29-point favorites.

    Georgia getting the win certainly isn't surprising, but it does make the Dawgs look a bit vulnerable on the road, especially when you consider that Missouri was an unranked .500-team coming into the matchup.

    Georgia still has to go on the road to play Mississippi State and Kentucky this season in November. It will also face Florida in Jacksonville, as well as No. 8 Tennessee and a loaded Vols' offense at home.

    If Georgia plays like it did against Missouri in any of those remaining games, the Dawgs could be in danger of losing yet again.


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