Just a few weeks to go in the 2018 season! Here are my week 11 MidWeek Musings:
Oklahoma
Bedlam, as usual, lived up to its name as Oklahoma State visited the Sooners. Oklahoma State had a chance to go up 49-48 with 1:03 on the clock but failed on a two-point conversion.
Going forward, Oklahoma has to be somewhat concerned about their pass defense. Cowboys’ quarterback Taylor Cornelius threw for 501 yards. If the Sooners’ coverage is this poor two weeks from now, when the Sooners visit Morgantown, Will Grier could have a field day.
Boston College
What was supposed to be an exciting game turned into the kind of game that makes viewers feel a bit cheated. Boston College quarterback Anthony Brown was injured on the Eagles’ first possession and didn’t return. It was a definite baptism by fire for backup EJ. Perry. Clemson quickly realized that the passing game didn’t have to be a big concern of theirs, and focused on stopping the run. Running back AJ Dillon rushed for a season-low 39 yards.
Twenty-seven points tie a season-low for Clemson. Had Brown remained healthy, this would likely have been a very good game.
Notre Dame
No Book? No problem for the Irish, who rolled over Florida State this weekend with Brandon Wimbush under center. Barring any Tuesday setbacks at practice, coach Brian Kelly expects Book to play against Syracuse in what should be a good game.
Should the Irish win out, they’ll almost certainly be in the top four to finish the season. A loss would make things far dicier. Without a conference championship to play for, Notre Dame would need some help and some luck in that scenario. Chaos is very much still possible.
Kentucky
This was the most unexpected result of the week for me. Coming into the weekend, the Vols had four wins, only one of which came against a Power Five team. Kentucky certainly has weaknesses, but they came into this game 7-2 and had the 11th-leading rusher in the country in Benny Snell. Tennessee focused on stopping the run, and that was the correct call. As a team, the Wildcats were limited to 77 yards on the ground. Kentucky has struggled in the passing game, and the teams that have had success against them have been the ones who held Snell in check. His rushing totals in their three losses have been 60, 73, and 81 yards.
The Wildcats are moving in the right direction, after years of doormat status in the SEC. This is what can happen when you let a coach stick around long enough to right the ship.
Best of the Rest:
Louisville
It seems enough was enough for Louisville; after a 54-23 loss at Syracuse, the second Bobby Petrino era is over. The 2-8 Cardinals will finish the season coached by associate head coach Lorenzo Ward.
Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm is a Louisville grad, and after what he’s done for the Boilermakers, the Cardinals are presumed to be (very) interested in him. This is a storyline to follow as the season winds down.
Minnesota
The Golden Gophers are one of the youngest teams in college football and have had the kind of year you’d expect in such a case. Their 41-10 beatdown of Purdue was not something I saw coming. You can read my article about the game here.
UCF
Still undefeated. Just saying.
Those are my week 11 Midweek Musings! Be sure to follow our college football coverage all season long. Until next week!
