Ten Best Games Of Week 9

The Worst College Football Game On The Planet Was … 

UTEP 34, at UTSA 0 
And You Care Because … UTEP destroyed the UTSA offense allowing just 70 yards, while the Miner attack didn’t have any problems as Jameill Showers found Jaquan White for a 75-yard touchdown early and connected with Aaron Jones for a 40-yard touchdown. Jones added a 24-yard scoring dash in the third, and the D got into the act on a 19-yard pick six from Jimmy Musgrave. 
What Else? UTEP QB Jameill Showers completed 12-of-18 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 11 times for 37 yards 
– UTSA QB Austin Robinson completed 6-of-20 passes for 32 yards and a score
– Time off possession: UTEP 39:12 – UTSA 20:48 
– UTEP RB Aaron Jones ran 21 times for 86 yards and a touchdown, and caught two passes for 36 yards and a score  

And A Really Good Game You Didn’t Watch … 

at Louisiana-Lafayette 55, Arkansas State 40 
And You Care Because … The Ragin’ Cajuns ran wild on Arkansas State as Elijah McGuire and Alonzo Harris each ran for four touchdowns, with McGuire’s 54-yard touchdown run in the final minute put the game away. Down 9-6, ULL’s ground game started to roll with Harris running for two scores and McGuire busting off runs from 74 and 13 yards out as part of a 28 point run that took control of the game. However, ASU wouldn’t go away. Down 34-9, the Red Wolves got a 70-yard scoring dash from Michael Gordon and an 87-yard Dijon Paschal touchdown catch to tighten things up. Paschal caught a second touchdown pass in the fourth, but a Harris four-yard run in the third turned out to be the game-winner. 
What Else? Total yards: Arkansas State 595 – ULL 521 
– ULL RB Elijah McGuire ran 19 times for 265 yards and four touchdowns, and Alonzo Harris ran 27 times for 107 yards and four touchdowns 
– Arkansas State QB Fredi Knighten completed 26-of-37 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns with a pick, and ran 16 times for 61 yards and a score 
– Rushing yards: ULL 419 (7.5 ypc) – ASU 253 (6.8 yp) 

10. at Illinois 28, Minnesota 24 
And You Care Because … Minnesota’s David Cobb was pushing for a little extra, but fumbled, leading to a scoop and score by V’Angelo Bentley from 12 yards out with just over six minutes to play. The Gophers got down 14-3 on a Reilly O’Toole nine-yard touchdown run and a three-yard pass to Jon Davis, but roared back in the second half with a 52-yard Isaac Fruechte scoring play and two touchdown runs from Cobb. Illinois stayed ahead on a two-yard Josh Ferguson run in the third, but it took the Bentley play to get ahead for good. Minnesota drove deep into Illinois territory late, but stalled. 
What Else? Total yards: Minnesota 411 – Illinois 263 
– Minnesota RB David Cobb 22 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns 
– Illinois QB Reilly O’Toole completed 14-of-21 passes for 118 yards and a score, and led the team with 59 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries
– Minnesota QB Mitch Leidner completed 12-of-30 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown with a pick, and ran 11 times for just three yards  

9. at WKU 66, Old Dominion 51 
And You Care Because … The two teams combined for close to 1,250 yards as Brandon Doughty spread around five touchdown passes for WKU and Leon Allen tore off two touchdown runs. However, ODU stayed in it on four Ray Lawry scoring runs, and the O threatened going into the fourth on a 39-yard Antonio Vaughan touchdown catch on Taylor Heineke’s third touchdown of the game to pull within five. In the middle of the fourth, Heineke got ODU deep into WKU territory, but he was picked off by Juwan Gardner, who took the pass 96 yards for a score. The Hilltoppers put it away with a field goal in the final minutes. 
What Else? WKU QB Brandon Doughty completed 23-of-26 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns 
– ODU RB Ray Lawry ran 25 times for 148 yards and four scores, and caught two passes for 39 yards
– ODU QB Taylor Heinicke completed 27-of-40 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns with two picks, and Antonio Vaughan caught six passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns 
– WKU RB Leon Allen ran 32 times for 182 yards with two touchdowns, and caught two passes for 31 yards  

8. at Auburn 42, South Carolina 35 
And You Care Because … In a fun and wild shootout, Nick Marshall ran for three touchdowns and threw for another, taking off for scores from 37, four and nine yards out, with his final touchdown dash coming with just over 11 minutes to play to give Auburn the lead. It would be the last score of the game as South Carolina’s final drive was snuffed out by Jonathan Jones’ second interception of the game. Dylan Thompson rocked the Auburn secondary for five touchdown passes including two to Pharoh Cooper from 16 and 51 yards out, but the second scoring play was answered 11 seconds later by the longest run in the Gus Malzahn era for Auburn on a 75-yard Ricardo Louis dash. South Carolina came back with a ten-yard Nick Jones touchdown catch late in the third, but that would be the team’s final score. 
What Else? Auburn QB Nick Marshall completed 12-of-14 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, and ran ten times for 89 yards and three touchdowns 
– South Carolina QB Dylan Thompson completed 29-of-50 passes for 402 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions 
– Auburn RB Cameron Artis-Payne ran 25 times for 167 yards and a score, and Ricardo Louis ran three times for 102 yards and a touchdown 
– South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper caught seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns  

7. Ohio State 31, at Penn State 24 2 OT 
And You Care Because … Joey Bosa sacked Christian Hackenberg on Penn State’s final chance in overtime as Ohio State finally put the game away. The Buckeyes appears to have the game in hand with a 17-0 halftime lead with J.T. Barrett finding Jeff Heuerman for a one-yard score, and Ezekiel Elliott running for a ten-yard touchdown, but Penn State roared back in the second half, starting with an interception return for a touchdown from Anthony Zettel. Hackenberg found Saeed Blacknall for a 24-yard score, and Sam Ficken forced overtime with a 31-yard field goal with nine seconds left. In the first OT, Bill Belton gave Penn State the lead with a one-yard run, but Barrett needed just three plays to get the Buckeyes into the end zone to tie it up. In the second overtime, Barrett ran for a four-yard touchdown, and Penn State couldn’t answer. 
What Else? Rushing yards: Ohio State 219 – Penn State 16 
– Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett completed 12-of-19 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions, and ran 20 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns 
– Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg completed 31-of-49 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions 
– Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott ran 26 times for 109 yards and a score  

6. North Carolina 28, at Virginia 27 
And You Care Because … With starting quarterback Marquise Williams out for one play after his helmet came off, Mitch Trubisky came in and found T.J. Thorpe for a 16-yard touchdown pass on the way to giving North Carolina the lead in the final minutes. Virginia moved the ball without a problem, but the offense kept stalling and settling for field goals after getting up 21-14. Kevin Parks scored twice for the Cavaliers, but North Carolina kept pace with Williams running for a 52-yard score and hitting Mack Hollins on touchdown passes from 57 and 63 yards away, and then the D held on with Ian Frye giving Virginia all of its points over the last 36 minutes with Ian Frye field goals from 31 and 37 yards out. That was enough, though, for UVa to have a 27-21 lead late until UNC’s winning touchdown drive. 
What Else? Time of possession: Virginia 37:35 – North Carolina 22:25 
– North Carolina QB Marquise Williams completed 15-of-28 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns with a pick, and ran 17 times for a team-leading 49 yards and a touchdown 
– North Carolina WR Mack Hollins caught two passes for 120 yards and two scores 
– Virginia RB Kevin Parks ran 25 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, and caught four passes for 19 yards and a score  

5. at Utah 24, USC 21 
And You Care Because … Utah QB Travis Wilson dove into the end zone for the apparent game-winning touchdown, but he was called out of bounds. He got another chance, and he made good on a one-yard touchdown pass to Kaelin Clay with eight seconds left to get it done. USC had control late, but couldn’t put the game away as kicking problems forced the O to go for it on fourth down, and WR Nelson Agholor stepped out of bounds short of the first down. The scoring was strange from the start, as USC’s Darreus Rogers thought a play was dead, but it was a lateral returned by Davion Orphey for a 53-yard touchdown. Cody Kessler kept USC in it with a ten-yard pass to JuJu Smith in the second and a four-yard touchdown pass to Rogers in the fourth, and Adoree Jackson return a kickoff for a score, but Utah kept pace as Devontae Booker made amends for a fumble around the one with a 24-yard touchdown run in the third. Even so, it was USC’s game until late. 
What Else? Utah QB Travis Wilson completed 18-of-32 passes for 193 yards and a score, and ran 12 times for 27 yards 
– USC WR Nelson Agholor caught ten passes for 110 yards 
– Utah RB Devontae Booker ran 26 times for 102 yards and a score, and USC RB Javorius Allen ran 27 times for 11 yards
– USC QB Cody Kessler completed 24-of-32 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns with a pick  

4. Mississippi State 45, at Kentucky 31 
And You Care Because … Mississippi State overcame a huge day from Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles with Josh Robinson and the ground game. Robinson started off the scoring with a 12-yard run, and came up with a brilliant 74-yard dash in the fourth, and Dak Prescott ran for touchdown runs from two and 11 yards, but Towles was close to unstoppable, running for two touchdowns and finding Demarco Robinson for a 67-yard score and Javess Blue for a 58-yard touchdown as the two teams traded punches all game long. Mississippi State stayed ahead all game long and never trailed, but UK kept fighting, pulling within seven late on the second Towles run. UK tried an onside kick, but Christian Holmes returned it 61 yards for a touchdown to put the wild game away. 
What Else? Mississippi State RB Josh Robinson ran 23 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns 
– Kentucky QB Patrick Towles completed 24-of-43 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 23 times for a team-leading 76 yards and two scores
– Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott completed 18-of-33 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown with a pick, and ran 18 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns
– Total yards: Mississippi State 542 – Kentucky 504  

3. UCLA 40, at Colorado 37 2OT 
And You Care Because … After the two teams traded field goals in the first overtime, UCLA survived in the second overtime as Brett Hundley answered a 34-yard Will Oliver field goal with an eight-yard touchdown run for the win. The Bruins appeared to have the game well in hand up 31-14 in the fourth helped by two Paul Perkins touchdown runs and a Hundley scoring throw to Jordan Payton, but Colorado roared back with Sefo Liufau throwing two touchdown passes to Bryce Bobo from 38 and three yards away, but it was a 35-yard Will Oliver field goal with 36 seconds to play that forced overtime. 
What Else? Total yards: UCLA 509 – Colorado 500 
– UCLA RB Paul Perkins ran 19 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 12 yards 
– Colorado QB Sefo Liufau completed 27-of-45 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions 
– UCLA QB Brett Hundley completed 24-of-39 passes for 200 yards and a score, and ran 12 times for 110 yards and a score  

2. at Toledo 42, Massachusetts 35 
And You Care Because … Toledo got a 19-yard touchdown run from Terry Swanson with just 34 seconds to play to put away a game UMass. Blake Frohnapfel threw five touchdown passes for the Minutemen including a 36-yarder to Tajae Sharpe and a 76-yard play to Jean Sifrin in the fourth. UMass got up 13-0 on first quarter touchdown catches from Jalen Williams from 15 and 35 yards out, but Toledo came back from down 20-7 on a 42-yard Corey Jones catch and a 36-yard Kareem Hunt run for the lead. In a wild fourth quarter, the two traded big play after big play, but Toledo had the ball last. 
What Else? Total yards: Toledo 520 – UMass 497 
– Massachusetts QB Blake Frohnapfel completed 28-of-55 passes for 438 yards and five touchdowns with two picks 
– Toledo RB Kareem Hunt ran 26 times for 198 yards and a touchdown, and Terry Swanson ran 18 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns 
– Massachusetts WR Jean Sifrin caught six passes for 185 yards and a score, Jean Williams caught six passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns  

1. at LSU 10, Ole Miss 7 
And You Care Because … LSU finally broke through the Ole Miss defense for a 13-play, 95-yard drive with Logan Stokes catching a three-yard touchdown pass with just over five minutes to play. Ole Miss stalled once, but got the ball back one last drive and drove into field goal range with a 42-yard try to force overtime – but the Rebels were nailed with a delay of game penalty. They tried one more play, and Bo Wallace was picked off on an ill-advised throw and LSU hung on. The Rebels scored first on a 15-yard Cody Core catch late in the first quarter, but LSU was able to get on the board in the second on a 21-yard Colby Delahoussaye field goal. The two teams missed on several chances, with LSU turning it over four times, and Ole Miss bending, but not breaking until late. 
What Else? LSU RB Leonard Fournette ran 23 times for 113 yards 
– Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace completed 14-of-33 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and ran 12 times for a team-high 40 yards 
– Time of possession: LSU 36:00 – Ole Miss 24:00 
– Broken up passes: LSU 12 – Ole Miss 3