Week 8 wrapup: Penn State loses in 9 OTs; Cincinnati unimpressive in win, Oklahoma State falls
Here’s a look at the key games in Week 8.
Down goes No. 7 Penn State
Those big games involving Penn State down the stretch in the regular season? Well, they’re a lot less big now after the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions lost at home Saturday to … Illinois.
In the longest game in NCAA history, a nine-overtime affair, the Illini shocked the Nittany Lions 20-18. Penn State was a 24.5-point favorite.
That just 38 total points were scored in a nine-overtime game should tell you a lot about the offenses. That Illinois struggled to score wasn’t really a surprise; hey, there was a reason the Illini came in with a 2-5 record. But Penn State’s offensive ineptitude was surprising. The Nittany Lions (5-2, 2-2 in the Big Ten) certainly hadn’t been an offensive juggernaut, but quarterback Sean Clifford — who was injured and missed most of Penn State’s loss to Iowa — did start Saturday and it was against the team with the worst defense in the Big Ten.
Instead, Illinois held Penn State to 227 total yards, shutting down the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack and harassing Clifford in the pocket.
Both teams kicked field goals in the first and second overtimes, then both hit two-point conversions in the eighth overtime. Penn State missed in the ninth overtime and Illinois converted for the win when Brandon Peters hit Casey Washington.
Penn State plays at Ohio State next Saturday and also has games remaining against unbeaten Michigan on November 13 and undefeated Michigan State on November 27. But instead of potentially playing to win the Big Ten East, the Nittany Lions now will be playing the spoiler role.
Cincinnati eases past Navy
No. 2 Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0 in the AAC) didn’t play all that well, either, but unlike Penn State, at least the Bearcats escaped with a win, beating host Navy 27-20.
The Bearcats led 13-10 at halftime, then looked to have taken control with two third-quarter touchdowns. But Navy (1-6, 1-4) hung tough and made a field goal midway through the quarter, then scored a TD with 50 seconds left to make it 27-20. Navy even recovered the ensuing onside kick, but then threw an interception.
Cincinnati, who were favored by 29 points, managed just 271 yards and was penalized 11 times. But while Navy held the ball for 39:27, the Midshipmen had just 308 yards of offense.
The Bearcats are aiming to become the first Group of 5 team to make the CFP, and the narrow outcome Saturday won’t embellish the résumé. But No. 3 Oklahoma’s narrow victory over Kansas, a team that is even worse than Navy, should keep the Sooners behind the Bearcats in the AP poll this week.
Iowa State hands Oklahoma State 1st loss
Iowa State opened the season ranked fifth. But the Cyclones lost twice in the first month of the season to drop out of the national conversation. A 24-21 victory over No. 8 Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1 in the Big 12) makes the Cyclones (5-2, 3-1) relevant again.
Iowa State had been relying on its defense and running back Breece Hall, but quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson replaced Hall on center stage against the Cowboys. Purdy threw for 307 yards and two TDs, and Hutchinson had 12 receptions for 125 yards and caught both scoring passes.
Hall did score the go-ahead TD with 5:29 left, and Iowa State’s defense made that hold up stopping Oklahoma State twice in the final five minutes. Iowa State heled the Cowboys to 322 total yards.
Oklahoma now is the only unbeaten team in Big 12 play, with Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State all having one league loss. Baylor’s came to Oklahoma State, and Iowa State’s came to Baylor.
Baylor hosts Oklahoma on November 13. Iowa State plays at Oklahoma on November 20. And Oklahoma State hosts Oklahoma on November 27. Baylor and Iowa State also still must play Texas.
Pickett, Pitt beat Clemson
No. 23 Pitt took full control of the ACC Coastal Division by downing Clemson 27-17, in the process all but eliminating the Tigers from the ACC Atlantic Division race.
Pitt (6-1, 3-0 in the ACC) has a two-game lead in the loss column in the Coastal Division race, and while the Panthers annually seem to lose one or two they have no business losing, this season seems different even though Pitt did lose to Western Michigan in Game 3.
The biggest difference this season is the quarterback. Kenny Pickett, Pitt’s Heisman contender at the position, threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers rolled up 464 yards against Clemson’s top-flight defense. The Tigers (4-3, 3-2) remain dangerous because of their defense, but their streak of six consecutive ACC titles seems likely to end. In addition, Clemson needs to win out — including its bowl — to keep alive its streak of 11 consecutive seasons with double-digit wins.
The Tigers’ offense again struggled, leading to a short-lived benching for quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. Pitt led 14-7 at halftime, then quickly increased the lead thanks to a pick-six off an intercepted Uiagalelei shovel pass on the initial possession of the second half. But while backup Taisun Phommachanh did lead Clemson to a field goal on his first possession, the Tigers went three-and-out on his second and Uiagalelei then returned on the Tigers’ first possession of the fourth quarter with the Tigers trailing 27-10.
Clemson finished with 315 total yards, and it was the Tigers’ fifth consecutive game scoring 21 or fewer points — the longest such streak for them since 1994.
The toughest remaining contests for Pitt appear to be home games against North Carolina and Virginia on November 13 and 20, respectively. Pitt never has won the ACC title.
Dye, Oregon run past UCLA
Oregon’s Travis Dye gained just 35 yards, but he scored four TDs as the 10th-ranked Ducks (6-1, 3-1 in the Pac-12) held off host UCLA (5-3, 3-2) 34-31.
Dye’s four TDs came on four consecutive carries, which set an NCAA record. He scored on runs of 1 and 4 yards in the second quarter and 1 and 5 in the third quarter. Dye was dealing with migraine issues before the game, and coaches weren’t sure he would play; he finished with 14 carries.
It was the third game in a row and the fifth time this season that the Ducks played a one-score game; they’re now 4-1 in such contests. Oregon’s next two games should be easier: Colorado and Washington. But the Ducks close out the regular season with contests against Washington State, Utah and Oregon State, and their propensity for playing close games could cost them in that stretch.
Van Dyke, Miami upset NC State
Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, making his first career start, threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns as the host Hurricanes (3-4, 1-2 in the ACC) edged No. 18 NC State 31-30. The Wolfpack (5-2, 2-1) came in with the ACC’s top-ranked unit in total defense.
The Wolfpack’s loss leaves Wake Forest, which is unbeaten, alone at the top of the Atlantic Division race. The other five division members have at least two league losses. Wake and NCSU meet November 13 in Winston-Salem.
UM coach Manny Diaz is on the hot seat, and this win certainly gives UM momentum heading into next week’s Coastal Division game at Pitt. A win in that one and Pitt basically locks up the division title.
Other key games in Week 8
+ No. 4 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 in the SEC) won its 15th in a row against visiting Tennessee (4-4, 2-3), beating the Vols 52-24 behind a 28-point fourth quarter. Two Tide scoring drives in the period went 30 or fewer yards; there was an 18-yard drive after an interception and a 30-yard drive after a turnover on downs.
+ No. 6 Michigan (7-0, 4-0 in the Big Ten) prepped for its showdown with rival Michigan State next week by pounding Northwestern 33-7. It took a while for the Wolverines to get going, but they took control in the third quarter by outscoring the Wildcats 17-0 to take a 27-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Michigan outgained Northwestern 457-233 thanks to a rushing attack that rolled up 294 yards. Michigan was 12-of-20 on third down and held the ball for almost 40 minutes.
+ LSU fell 31-17 to No. 12 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 in the SEC) in its first game since the announcement that Ed Orgeron would be replaced at the end of the season. And the same problems that plagued LSU early in the season showed up again against the Rebels. Ole Miss gouged LSU for 266 rushing yards, and the Tigers (4-4, 2-3) struggled to run themselves, finishing with just 77 yards on the ground. Ole Miss led 17-7 at halftime, then removed any doubt about the outcome with two third-quarter touchdowns.
+ No. 16 Wake Forest moved to 7-0 for the first time since 1944 by beating host Army 70-56. Wake didn’t punt, had 638 yards of total offense and averaged 12.3 yards per play against an Army team that ranked sixth nationally in total defense. Wake scored 70 points despite having the ball for just 17:17. Army (4-3) rushed for 416 yards. Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman was 23-of-29 for 458 yards and five TDs; he also rushed for a touchdown. Wake had six scoring plays of at least 41 yards and three of at least 75, including an 83-yard pick-six. It was the highest-scoring game in Army history.
+ No. 25 Purdue’s stay in the top 25 will be short-lived after Wisconsin hammered the host Boilermakers 30-13. Purdue (4-3, 2-2) was ranked for the first time since 2007 after beating Iowa last week. The game was tied at 13 at halftime before the Badgers (4-3, 2-2) dominated the second half. Wisconsin rushed for 290 yards and Purdue finished at minus-13 on the ground.
+ Oregon State’s surprising season continued as the host Beavers (5-2, 3-1 in the Pac-12) beat Utah 42-34, handing the Utes (4-3, 3-1) their first conference loss. B.J. Baylor rushed for 158 yards and a TD to lead Oregon State, whose conference title hopes likely will come down to the final two regular-season games against Arizona State and Oregon. Utah gets UCLA next week in an important Pac-12 South game for the Utes.
+ Syracuse added to the questions about Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente’s job security by scoring two TDs in the final 2:30 to beat the Hokies 41-36. The winning TD was a 45-yard pass with 19 seconds left. Syracuse (4-4, 1-3) rolled up 555 yards against Tech (3-4, 1-2).