We’re more than halfway to the weekend! Here are my Week Six Midweek Musings:
LSU
This was more like the LSU defense we’ve come to expect- and that’s with linebacker Michael Divinity and lineman Rashard Lawrence still out. (The team is hopeful that both will play against Florida this week, which is huge). The depleted Tigers held Utah State to two field goals.
Also, it appears that the next great defensive back out of Baton Rouge is freshman Derek Stingley, Jr. I didn’t find any highlights from this weekend on youtube, but here’s a look at Stingley from the week two Texas matchup:
Michigan
On the topic of “where has this defense been?”, the Wolverines probably left Iowa QB Nate Stanley wondering the same thing. Nothing Michigan has put on tape this season gave any indication that they were capable of their performance on Saturday. Stanley was intercepted three times and sacked eight in a 10-3 win for the Wolverines. Michigan moves up three spots in the AP Poll and two in the Coaches’ Poll; they now sit at #16 in both.
Washington
The Huskies have spent the first six weeks of the season on a roller-coaster through the bottom half of the rankings. They had gotten back up to #15, only to drop out entirely this week. Losing to what is, at best, a mediocre Stanford team will do that to you. Their one-point loss to Cal looked much better before the Golden Bears lost two in a row and dropped out of the rankings themselves.
There’s definitely a chance for Washington to get back into the Top 25. They face Oregon (currently #13) on the 19th, and #15 Utah two weeks later. Winning even one of those games, along with the rest of their slate, could get them back into the #20-25 range.
UCLA
The talk of Chip Kelly’s seat cooling off (I’m guilty) may have been premature. Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-31 win. UCLA racked up a fair amount of offense, but they had no answer for Luton and Isaiah Hodgins (10 catches, 123 yards, three touchdowns).
Kelly made the questionable decision to go for it on fourth-and-one on UCLA’s first drive of the game, trailing 7-0. The Bruins were not only stopped, they lost five yards. Five plays later, the Beavers had a 14-0 lead.
UCF-Cincinnati
The Knights, surprisingly, suffered their second loss of the season Friday night at Cincinnati. If you’ve watched the Bengals recently, you know that’s probably the best game they’re going to see in Cincinnati this year. The Bearcats are ranked #25 in this week’s poll; they and Temple lead the AAC East with 4-1 overall records. Both are 1-0 in conference play.
SMU
Staying in the American Conference, SMU needed three overtimes but remained unbeaten against Tulsa. The Mustangs sit atop the AAC West with a 6-0 record (2-0 in conference play) and at #21 in the AP poll.
Penn State
It’s been gratifying to see the support for Nittany Lion Jonathan Sutherland, who received this racist letter from a Penn State alum. Both coach James Franklin and athletic director Sandy Barbour have condemned the sentiments in the letter and essentially told people not to judge their athletes by their appearances. (I’d also like to add that, racism aside, the hairstyle of somebody you’ve never met is absolutely NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS).
Highlight of the Week
Was this a great run by Lamical Perine, or really bad tackling by Auburn? You decide. (And for more on this game, check out our coverage here).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NQ7CQ5dC4A
Those are my week six Midweek Musings. Have a great rest of the week, and enjoy week seven!
