Sunday Superlatives: The best, worst and everything else in coaching from a bananas Week 10
That was a day. A bananas day.
College football is always wildly unpredictable because you’re never totally sure what you’re going to get from a group of 18-to-23 year olds.
Or even previously flawless 25-year-olds (Hello, Hendon Hooker).
Week 10 had it all, with Georgia dog-walking Tennessee, folks questioning if multiple dynasties are dead, the highest-scoring game in FBS regulation and Texas A&M and Miami still looking like zombie teams.
Here’s a recap of everything — the best, worst and in between — in coaching with today’s Sunday Superlatives.
SMARTEST CALL OF THE WEEK
The 2019 LSU comparisons didn’t even last a week.
Georgia, the reigning national champions, humbled the fun and plucky upstart Tennessee Vols on Saturday, ending a premature narrative with a dominant defensive performance that reminded everyone in the country that the road to a title actually still runs through Athens.
All week, Georgia heard about how unstoppable Tennessee’s go-go offense was with Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. A conspiracy theorist might say Kirby Smart was the coach who anonymously told ESPN that the Vols would score at least 50 on the Bulldogs on Saturday — just to spice things up a bit.
Only, it’s clear after a 27-13 choking, this Georgia team doesn’t need added motivation.
With a collective buy-in, the Bulldogs are fueled by their own hunger, confidence and preparation.
The goal Saturday was to make Tennessee feel them. See them.
“Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. That was our theme. We told them we wanted to play them right in our box,” Smart said.
The defensive brain trust of Kirby Smart, Will Muschamp and Glen Schumann had a brilliant plan. UGA cornerback Keele Ringo thought he did, too, only when he demanded “11” — as in Vols star wideout Jalin Hyatt — Smart told Ringo “that’s not the game plan.”
Ringo didn’t sulk or pout. Instead, he went out and helped lead a Bulldogs defense that played like 11 boa constrictors that slowly squeezed all hope from the Vols.
Georgia, which saw 20 defensive players see at least 10 snaps, per PFF, might’ve ended Hooker’s Heisman Trophy campaign with six sacks and two turnovers — including a brilliantly played interception by none other than Keele Ringo. It’s a unit that down-to-down, play-to-play did their jobs. Over and over again.
“He bought into the plan,” Smart said of Ringo. “He practiced really hard this week. It was important for him to play well.”
That “buy-in” speaks to where Kirby Smart’s program is right now.
On the same day Alabama and Clemson fell flat, Georgia, which lost a record 15 players to the NFL last season, made its case as the premier program in the country right now. As the most complete team in the country. True “complementary football,” Smart said.
Stetson Bennett delivered a great first half. The offensive line bludgeoned Tennessee to open the third quarter. Stanford Stadium was a hornet’s nest, with the deafening sounds from UGA faithful bouncing off the rain-soaked hedges to force seven false starts on.
It’s not 2019 LSU vs. 2022 Tennessee that will be the comparisons come season’s end. It’s whether or not Kirby Smart’s team has truly ascended as the king of the sport.
Elsewhere, Brian Kelly’s gusty decision to go for the game-winning 2-point conversion in overtime to stun Alabama 32-31 was years in the making. This isn’t about Nick Saban’s dynasty possibly being dead. It was Brian Kelly and a monumental win for him and LSU.
Saturday night was exactly why Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU — to coach a team in that environment that truly has the horses to run with the Crimson Tide.
Kelly was lambasted for all his phony ‘family’ talk during his introduction at LSU, but beating Bama, especially in Year 1, and you earn that blood-brothers card with the folks down on the Bayou.
“To come here and restore the pride and tradition of this program it just means so much,” an emotional Kelly said in the postgame interview with ESPN.
“I’ve been welcomed down here. It just feels so good to return the favor in the trust that they’ve given me.”
I was high on LSU all offseason, believing in Kelly’s coaching acumen but also recognizing the high-end talent on the Tigers’ roster. They’re not a deep team, but their “best” is as good as most others in the country.
They simply needed an identity, direction and better QB play.
Kelly has delivered all three.
The Tigers’ special teams are still a bit of an adventure, but they beat Alabama on Saturday because they have dudes at pass rusher (BJ Ojulari, Harold Perkins, Ali Gaye), playmakers at receiver and tight end, a secondary built by the transfer portal and a quarterback who has made a stunning in-season transformation.
Jayden Daniels’ growth has completely changed LSU’s ceiling in 2022, and Kelly’s belief in his quarterback, as evidenced by the two play calls in overtime — a designed 25-yard touchdown run and the rollout pass for the 2-point conversion — now allow the Tigers to control their own destiny; On Saturday night in Death Valley, and the rest of the season for a chance to play for the SEC Championship.
“There was no way that I was gonna let somebody else decide the outcome of this game,” Kelly told his players in the locker room in a video released on Twitter.
“We weren’t gonna come back into this locker room saying I wish we got this call or that call, because the only guys I trust are the guys in this locker room. When it’s about winning a ballgame, I’m gonna let you guys decide.”
LSU’s walk-off winner was a play Kelly had in his back pocket from his days at Notre Dame. The Irish nearly upset No. 2 FSU in 2014 with a similar pylon rollout, but they were flagged for pass interference.
Eight years later, Kelly dialed up the same play. Only this time, no flags.
If you asked me before the game started, ‘Hey I’m going to give you one play and if you are successful on that one play you are going to beat Alabama,’ I would have taken it 100 times out of a hundred,” Kelly said.
“At that moment, it kind of hit me that way. I knew we had a really good play that we hadn’t used and (Alabama) hadn’t seen. When you get (Daniels) out on the perimeter you truly have a threat. So I felt really good about the play.”
Suddenly, LSU feels “really good” about Brian Kelly as its head coach.
COACHING CALAMITY OF THE WEEK
Eventually, a paper-Tiger reveals its true stripes.
Despite its fraudulent resume, Clemson started Saturday as the No. 4 team in the country. They were coming off a bye week with a schedule that was set up to waltz into the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers ended the evening humiliated, going home with their tails tucked between their legs after Notre Dame thoroughly bullied Dabo Swinney’s team for 60 minutes.
ND 35, Clemson 14.
“That was an ass-kicking, period. That’s what it was,” Swinney said.
“Just flat out got our tails handed to us. … They absolutely dominated us in every aspect of football and it starts with coaching, tackling, blocking, you name it. It is what it is.”
Notre Dame rushed for 263 yards. The Irish blocked a punt for a touchdown and intercepted Clemson twice, including one going for a 96-yard pick-six.
The Irish’s win was an unforgettable, cathartic evening for first-year head coach Marcus Freeman and certainly recalibrates the course of the program after a shaky start to 2022.
In the same storied building Notre Dame lost to Marshall and Stanford earlier this season, the Irish completely bodied an undefeated Clemson team.
“Today was the day it all came together,” Freeman said.
Yesterday was also the latest referendum on Swinney’s program.
Clemson is no longer a college football superpower.
They’re probably still the class of the ACC, but in 2022, that doesn’t mean a whole lot. They’re part of the “others” now.
Dabo is an all-time coach who built an all-time program based on culture, buy-in and continuity. But that continuity has come with a cost, too.
The Tigers are stale, particularly offensively. All the internal promotions have led to a total lack of ingenuity and change.
They haven’t developed top-flight offensive linemen and their wide receiver and quarterback play continue to regress in a scheme that remains antiquated and disjointed.
If Jimbo Fisher has the Cheesecake Factory menu as his outdated playbook, Clemson is running a slighted swankier Southern version.
Every play has to be perfectly blocked. No one is ever running free. The quarterback, whether it be DJ Uiagalelei or Cade Klubnik now, or in the past Trevor Lawrence or Deshaun Watson, has to be Morgan Freeman’s character from Bruce Almighty.
They have to do everything.
“So you’re the janitor, electrician, and the boss. Must be one hell of a Christmas party.”
When it all comes together, sure. But the Tigers haven’t looked like they’ve had a whole lot of fun the last two seasons.
Something has to change.
Swinney took full responsibility for his team’s effort postgame, but he also was shell-shocked at their performance.
“I wish I could say I saw it coming,” Swinney said. “We had a great week of practice, a great week of preparation.”
Maybe Clemson did. But perhaps Saturday’s showing was finally what Swinney, who called it the most disappointing day in his 14 seasons as the Tigers’ head coach, needs to look in the mirror and make real changes.
Honorable Mention: Why Sam Pittman? Why?! Arkansas gave Hugh Freeze his latest resume-builder for the Auburn opening, as Liberty went to Fayetteville with a backup quarterback and stunned the Hogs 21-19.
Freeze, who beat Alabama twice while at Ole Miss, called it the biggest win of his career, which is quite the revelation from a coach who loves to talk about how much he likes the Bible.
The Flames are now a couple of wins away from going 11-1, while Pittman’s Razorbacks missed a major opportunity to secure bowl eligibility (LSU, Ole Miss and Missouri to finish out the season).
THE GREAT ESCAPE CROWN
I noted in this very space last week that Northwestern was undefeated in Europe and winless in America in 2022. That didn’t change Saturday, but those same hapless Wildcats (1-8 now) pushed No. 2 Ohio State to the brink in Evanston.
The two teams played a football game in a rainy jet stream, with howling winds of more than 30 miles per hour. The Buckeyes escaped with a 21-7 victory, needing a fourth-quarter score to truly put the game away. They average 48.9 points per game, but didn’t score their first touchdown until the final minutes of the first half.
“I’ve never been around conditions like this,” head coach Ryan Day said.
“There were times I was concerned about the snap coming back.”
Quarterback CJ Stroud threw for just 79 yards in the terrible conditions, but what’s concerning for Ohio State moving forward is the offense’s inability to consistently run the football. Northwestern ranked No. 105 in rush defense, but Miyan Williams had just a single explosive run (27-yard touchdown) all afternoon. Stroud broke off a 44-yard run late to ice the game, but overall, it was a noteworthy performance — particularly on the heels of last week’s showing against Penn State, when it also couldn’t run the ball.
Each week we get new information. More information. And suddenly, that Team Up North is looking more and more like a problem for Ohio State, even if The Game is in Columbus this year.
Honorable Mention: North Carolina held off Virginia 31-28 to win its fifth game in a row. The Tar Heels still don’t play much defense, but with gunslinger Drake Maye at quarterback (363 total yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers), they can score with anyone.
UNC is 8-1 with a reasonable path to 11-1 regular season and a showdown with Clemson in the ACC Championship. They probably needed an undefeated Tigers team in Charlotte to truly crack the CFP, but with another close win Saturday, they at least remain in the conversation for another week.
THE REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES TROPHY
It was exactly one week ago that I lauded Bret Bielema for his Year 2 turnaround at Illinois. The Fighting Illini were positioned to coast toward a Big Ten West title, especially with a home showdown against a spiraling Michigan State squad.
Welp.
Illinois never got off the bus Saturday, as the Spartans topped the Fighting Illini 23-15 in a gross game in Champaign. They were awful on 3rd down (6 of 17), turned the ball over on downs in the red zone three times and fumbled once.
Suddenly, after all the outcomes Saturday, Illinois (4-2 in the conference) is no longer a near-lock to go to Indianapolis. The Big Ten West is a mess now, as Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin — all 3-3 in the conference — all have life.
With Michigan on deck in two weeks, Illinois essentially faces a must-win against Purdue next weekend to clinch the West.
Hats off to Mel Tucker, who had MSU mentally prepared to play after last week’s mess at Michigan and then the suspension of eight platters, including several key starters. With the upset, the Spartans now have a real path toward bowl eligibility.
THE TAKIN’ CARE OF BUSINESS CUP
While plenty of Top 25 teams face-planted Saturday, several College Football Playoff contenders handled their business and remain in contention for the Final Four.
I wrote about TCU’s Hypnotoad magic Saturday, as Sonny Dykes’ Horned Frogs are 9-0 for the first time since 2010 after rallying in the fourth quarter to beat Texas Tech 34-24.
Bo Nix continued his darkhorse Heisman Trophy campaign with another five total touchdown performance, passing for two scores, rushing for two scores and catching a touchdown in the Ducks’ 49-10 romp over Colorado. Oregon has scored 40 or more points in eight straight games — a first in eight years.
“We don’t care about stats. Stats are for losers,” Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said. “I’m sure our players take pride in it. I don’t want that to come across the wrong way. The goal is always to win.”
Since getting embarrassed by Georgia in their season-opener, the Ducks have certainly done just that and look like the headliner of the Pac-12 as we enter the final stretch of the 2022 season.
Meanwhile, after cashing in a few sick days in the first half against Rutgers (17-14 deficit), Michigan went to work in the second half, blanking the Scarlet Knights 28-to-zip in the third quarter. The Wolverines picked off three passes after halftime, including one for a pick-six, en route to a 52-17 blowout win. Michigan has been a dominant second-half team this season, outscoring its opponents by a +97 margin over the last month.
Both Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards rushed for over 100 yards, and while quarterback JJ McCarthy continues to be a bit of a wild card (just 13 completions, 5.6 yards per attempt), with their run game and feisty defense, Jim Harbaugh’s squad is in prime position to win back-to-back Big Ten titles.
Finally, Utah and Penn State have little to no chance to make the playoff but both teams are still in position to compete for potential New Year’s Six Bowls, and they both cruised to wins Saturday.
Behind an imposing rushing attack, the Utes ran for 306 yards and five touchdowns — 150+ and four scores in the first half — to stay alive in the Pac-12 title race, while the Nittany Lions effectively looked like Michigan-lite on Saturday, using their own ground game (four rushing touchdowns) plus pressing defense to blast Indiana.
Penn State allowed under 200 yards against three different Rutgers QBs, registering six sacks, forcing three turnovers and recording a ridiculous 16 tackles for loss — a school record.
“When you talk about the field position battle, we won that. The turnover battle, we won that. I think that’s really been a story for our season and something I’m really going to emphasize on Sunday with the guys,” PSU head coach James Franklin said.
“[When] we’re able to create turnovers on defense and limit them on offense, we’re tough to beat.”
Honorable Mention: Texas finally won a close game under Steve Sarkisian, holding on for dear life as road favorites at Kansas State. In a sloppy, disjoined game, the Longhorns rode all-world tailback Bijan Robinson (244 total yards, one touchdown) to a 34-27 win.
THE BONUS FOR GO BOWLING
How about March Madness in November?
Two “basketball schools” with preseason win totals around 3 clinched bowl eligibility this weekend, as Kansas and Duke both reached the six-win plateau.
In Lawerence, Lance Leipold continued his remarkable rebuild of the Jayhawks’ program, continuing No. 16 Oklahoma State’s free-fall with a 37-16 victory — the school’s first win over a ranked team since 2010.
Sure, the Cowboys were without starting quarterback Spencer Sanders, but Kansas was playing a backup quarterback, too, and it rode in-state native Devin Neal for 224 rushing yards to move to 6-3.
The Jayhawks have been one of the laughing-stock programs in college football for more than a decade, so their fans stormed the field because they’re going bowling for the first time in nearly 15 years.
“I’m really proud of our guys and our staff,” Leipold said. “To be able to do something like this is pretty special.”
Indeed.
Also notable, is what Mike Elko is doing at Duke.
The Blue Devils are also headed for postseason play after handling their business on the road at Boston College on Friday night.
With its 38-31 win, Duke is now 6-3 under its first-year head coach. The Blue Devils were 3-9 in 2021, but Elko has pushed all the right buttons since taking over the program. They play hard, physical football (232 rushing yards, five sacks) and don’t turn the ball over (ACC’s best turnover margin), and that formula has been key to success in a topsy-turvy ACC in 2022.
“Just a really monumental night for our program,” Elko said after the win.
“For us to come from where we were 10 months ago to here, bowl eligible with three games to go. Just a testament to everybody in our program and our university from the top down.”
THE THANK YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY HONOR
Saturday didn’t just deliver Georgia’s suffocation of Tennessee or LSU’s stunner against Alabama, but also, the most offensive fireworks in a regulation game in FBS history.
The NFL Network got its commercial monies worth, that’s for sure.
Mustangs quarterback Tanner Mordecai accounted for 10 touchdowns. The two offenses combined for more than 1,300 yards. In 154 combined plays, there were just six total tackles for loss.
Afterward, the always-hoarse Dana Holgorsen couldn’t speak, with Houston’s head coach finally finding some words, saying, “They were going to score every time they had the ball. Period.
I’ve never seen that. Usually you get some stops. We got no stops. I can’t explain that.”
THE CHECKED-OUT CUP
I’m not going to spend more than 100 words on the latest debacles at Texas A&M and Miami, but in close, those are two zombie teams — and programs — right now.
With the flu running through College Station, the Aggies, missing around 30 players who were either sick or hurt, melted in the second half against Florida, with Jimbo Fisher’s offense getting outscored 21-0 after halftime in a 41-24 loss — their fifth straight and worst streak since 1980.
Not to be outdone, Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes were mollywhopped 45-3 at home to in-state rival Florida State. They played three quarterbacks, didn’t gain over 200 yards and now haven’t scored a single touchdown in nine straight quarters, plus multiple overtimes.
Talk about grim.