Week 5 wrapup: A look at the key games from Saturday
Here’s a look at all the key games from Week 5 of the season.
Arizona State in charge in Pac-12 South
On a day in which Pac-12 favorite Oregon was stunned by Stanford, visiting Arizona State made it known it was a viable contender for the league title by beating No. 20 UCLA 42-23.
The Sun Devils (4-1, 2-0) now have to be considered the favorite in the Pac-12 South, though it should be noted that they play at Stanford on Friday night. After that comes a trip to Utah, which was off Saturday but is the only other South Division team that is unbeaten in league play. Still, the Sun Devils look to be the most complete team in the division and they don’t play Oregon during the regular season.
The Sun Devils led 24-23 at halftime, then dominated the Bruins (3-2, 1-1) in the second half.
Arizona State got a big game from quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw for 286 yards and two TDs; he also rushed for 45 yards as the Sun Devils piled up 458 yards of offense. ASU had three touchdowns of at least 49 yards, including passes of 65 and 54 yards to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. The 54-yarder came late in the second quarter and gave ASU the lead for good at 24-20.
Georgia blows out Arkansas
The top-10 showdown in Athens became one-sided early, and No. 2 Georgia (5-0 overall, 3-0 in the SEC) rolled to a 37-0 victory over No. 8 Arkansas (4-1, 1-1). The Bulldogs scored on their first two drives, then blocked a punt for a TD late in the first quarter for a 21-0 lead, and it never was in doubt after that.
RELATED: Alabama rolls past Ole Miss
The victory came with backup quarterback Stetson Bennett at the controls; starter J.T. Daniels was held out with an injury. The win also came in the first game of the toughest month for the Bulldogs, who have Auburn, Kentucky and Florida remaining in October. The last third of the schedule is soft (Missouri, Tennessee, Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech), so October will determine the course of the season.
Georgia’s defense was stifling: Arkansas finished with 166 total yards and just nine first downs, with four of those on the Hogs’ final drive. The Bulldogs have allowed just 13 first downs in the past two games, and haven’t allowed more than 14 in a game this season.
Bennett attempted just 11 passes because the Bulldogs dominated on the ground, rushing for 273 yards and controlling the clock for 36:01. Presumably, Georgia will have to throw more than 11 times to win games later this month; then again, with a defense this dominant, it may not matter.
Cincinnati stays unbeaten with win at Notre Dame
No. 7 Cincinnati (4-0) took a big step toward a possible spot in the College Football Playoff with a 24-13 victory at No. 9 Notre Dame (4-1). The win snapped the Irish’s 26-game home winning streak, which had been the second-longest in the nation behind Clemson’s 30.
The Bearcats rode a big game from quarterback Desmond Ridder, who threw for 297 yards and two TDs, to maybe the biggest victory in school history. At the least, it’s one of the biggest and it will keep the Bearcats squarely in the CFP conversation.
Cincinnati has beaten two Power 5 teams (it beat Indiana on September 19), but the biggest issue for the Bearcats now is that they don’t really have another chance at a “big” victory. A home game against SMU on November 20 is the best game left on the schedule.
Sooners win another one-score game
No. 6 Oklahoma led by 17 five minutes into the fourth quarter, then had to hold on to beat host Kansas State 37-31. The victory wasn’t sealed until OU recovered an onside kick with 1:19 left.
Oklahoma moved to 5-0 overall (and 2-0 in the Big 12) and is 4-0 against FBS opponents; all four victories have been one-score margins. Saturday’s victory moves OU coach Lincoln Riley to 17-6 in one-score games with the Sooners.
The Sooners were helped by two video review overturns. K-State looked to have recovered an onside kick trailing 27-10 in the third quarter, but Ty Zentner kicked the ball twice and that’s illegal touching. The second came with K-State trailing 27-17 in the fourth quarter, when a pass completion on fourth down gave the Wildcats a first down. But the ball touched the ground.
K-State outgained the Sooners 420-392. OU averaged 494.7 yards per game last season; the Sooners haven’t gained more than 430 against a FBS opponent this season.
Oklahoma State moves to 5-0
No. 19 Oklahoma State (5-0, 2-0 in the Big 12) won the battle of the Big 12 unbeatens, downing No. 21 Baylor 24-14 in Stillwater behind the third consecutive 100-yard game from Jaylen Warren,
Warren rushed for 125 yards and two TDs as the Cowboys moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2015. Baylor (4-1, 2-1) downed Iowa State last week and was trying to beat ranked teams in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 1974.
Oklahoma State’s defense was dominant in the first half, holding Baylor to 99 total yards. The Cowboys forced punts on Baylor’s first eight possessions.
The Bears had been dependent on a powerful rushing attack, but the Bears had just 107 yards on 29 attempts. Baylor was able to hang around because Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders threw three picks.
Oklahoma State is off next week, then plays three of its next four on the road, including back-to-back trips to Texas (October 16) and Iowa State (October 23).
Texas A&M loses again
Two weeks ago, Texas A&M was ranked seventh. Today, the Aggies have lost two in a row and have to play Alabama next week. Will Rogers threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns to lead visiting Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1 in the SEC) to a 26-22 upset of the 15th-ranked Aggies (3-2, 0-2).
A&M struggled offensively, mustering just 297 total yards. And the Aggies’ defense couldn’t get the Bulldogs “Air Raid” offense off the field; Mississippi State ran 76 plays (59 of them were pass attempts), 24 more than A&M.
RELATED: Kentucky upsets No. 10 Florida
Others of note in Week 5
+ No. 14 Michigan used a familiar theme at Wisconsin, with a stout defense leading the way to a 38-17 victory. But the Wolverines (5-0, 2-0 in the Big Ten) also unveiled a heretofore unseen passing attack in downing the Badgers (1-3, 0-2). Michigan came in fifth nationally at 290.8 rushing yards per game, but managed just 112 (on 45 carries) against Wisconsin. But Cade McNamara threw for 197 yards and two TDs and backup Kyle McNamara threw for 56 and another score.
+ Pitt’s Kenny Pickett threw four TD passes, giving him 19 for the season, as the Panthers blasted host Georgia Tech 52-21. Pitt (4-1, 1-0 in the ACC) led 42-14 at halftime against the Yellow Jackets (2-3, 1-2), who routed North Carolina last week. Pickett is in his fourth year as the starter and never had thrown more than 13 TD passes in a season.
+ Host Wake Forest (5-0, 3-0 in the ACC) stayed perfect by edging Louisville 37-34 on a 29-yard field goal by Nate Sciba with 22 seconds left. Sciba is 10-of-10 on field goals this season. The game featured 1,041 yards of total offense; Louisville had 540, Wake 501.
+ No. 25 Clemson had its highest offensive output of the season against a Power 5 foe, finishing with 438 total yards in a 19-13 victory over visiting Boston College. Still, the Tigers (3-2, 2-1 in the ACC) bogged down in the red zone and got four field goals from B.T. Potter to hold off the Eagles (4-1, 0-1). BC drove from its 36 to Clemson’s 11 in the final two minutes, but an errant snap was recovered by Clemson at its 22 with 49 seconds left. BC’s loss means Wake Forest is the lone remaining unbeaten in the ACC.