Numbers game: 9 stats you need to know from Week 9

Each week, On3’s Matt Zenitz takes a look at some interesting stats coming out of that weekend’s games. Here are nine such stats coming out of Week Nine.

2: During Ohio State’s 44-31 win over Penn State, Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau had two sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a touchdown. He’s the only Power 5 player since 2000 with two sacks, two interceptions and a touchdown in a game. The only other FBS player to post that combination of those stats since 2000: Tulsa outside linebacker Cornelius Arnick, who had 10 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and a touchdown against Hawaii in 2010.

8: Before October 22, there hadn’t been a single Power 5 team since 2000 to finish with more than seven turnovers in a game. Now, it’s happened twice in the past two Saturdays. Wake Forest had eight turnovers during the then-No. 10 Demon Deacons’ 48-21 loss to Louisville, with all eight coming during the second half (and six in the third quarter). It came a week after Miami finished with eight turnovers in a 45-21 loss to Duke.

8.9: Illinois’ defense, which helped the Fighting Illini secure a 26-9 win over Nebraska, continues to rank No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (8.9 points per game). To put that number into perspective, only one defense since 2014 has allowed fewer than 11.9 points per game (Georgia last year). None have allowed fewer than 10 points per game since Alabama in 2011.

9: USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker combined for nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in wins over Arizona and Kentucky, respectively. Williams and Hooker are the only two Power 5 QBs with more than 15 touchdown passes and fewer than two interceptions. Combined, they have accounted for 52 total touchdowns, including 45 passing TDs, with only two interceptions. Williams has 27 total TDs, Hooker 25.

14: With two touchdown catches during Tennessee’s win over Kentucky, Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is up to 14 TD catches for the season. That’s tied for the sixth-most through eight games since 2000 among Power 5 wide receivers. The only players with more TD catches through eight games: Baylor’s Corey Coleman (20 in 2015), Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree (17 in 2007), Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald (16 in 2003), West Virginia’s Stedman Bailey (15 in 2012) and West Virginia’s David Sills (15 in 2017). Hyatt also leads the nation with nine catches of at least 40 yards (he had zero of that length last season). No one else has more than five.

149: Illinois running back Chase Brown ran for 149 yards during the Fighting Illini’s win over Nebraska. Brown is one of just six Power 5 running backs since 2000 with at least 125 rushing yards in seven of a team’s first eight games. The others: Texas’ Cedric Benson (2004), Minnesota’s Laurence Maroney (2005), LSU’s Leonard Fournette (2015), Stanford’s Bryce Love (2017) and Iowa State’s Breece Hall (2020).

205: Ole Miss freshman running back Quinshon Judkins racked up 205 rushing yards and a touchdown on 34 carries during the Rebels’ 31-28 win over Texas A&M. It was the most rushing yards against the Aggies since LSU’s Derrius Guice had 285 in 2016.

259: UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet recorded 259 scrimmage yards (198 rushing and 61 receiving) along with three touchdowns in the Bruins’ win over Stanford. Charbonnet has finished with at least 179 scrimmage yards in each of UCLA’s past four games. He leads the nation with an average of 170.9 scrimmage yards per game and also ranks first with 40 plays of at least 10 yards despite having played in one fewer game than most other players (seven).

515: Led by OC Kenny Dillingham and QB Bo Nix, Oregon has racked up at least 515 yards in each of its first five games against Pac-12 opponents. The Ducks, who beat California 42-24 Saturday, are responsible for five of the top 15 yardage outputs in Pac-12 conference play, including four of the top 10 and three of the top seven.