NCAA Week 8: Top 25 Winners & Losers
Bama dish out another Top 10 beatdown, Ohio fans get one in the (buck)eye, and the Heisman frontrunner drops another mic.
beIN SPORTS
By Des Norris
Scholars
North Carolina State 13 – 54 Louisville
October had been a fairly uninspiring month for Louisville fans, beginning with a deflating defeat to Clemson which was followed a fortnight later with a nervy win over Duke.
However, the Cardinals were able to rediscover their relentless offensive attack on Saturday when the Wolfpack came to town.
Bobby Petrino’s men stormed to a 44-0 lead in the first half and, as has become customary this season, the school’s star quarterback put on a scintillating display.
Should any name other than Lamar Jackson’s be engraved onto the Heisman Trophy in 2016, the 55,218 in attendance at the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday might well demand an inquiry.
Before being replaced in the fourth quarter, the Boynton Beach native set a new school record for most created touchdowns in a single season (34), following the four he clocked up against North Carolina State: three passing and one on the ground.
Texas A&M 14 - 33 Alabama
The sense of inevitability surrounding this Crimson Tide team and its chances of being crowned national champions grows larger with the passing of each week.
This time Nick Saban’s Bama boys bated a third top-ranked team aside in as many weeks in large part thanks to one of the most powerful weapons in their arsenal: the non-offensive touchdown.
Alabama have scored a total of 12 such TDs this season, and we’re still only at the halfway point!
The Aggies put up a decent fight at the Bryant-Denny Stadium, and even carved out a narrow (albeit short-lived) 14-13 lead in the second half.
However, stopping the Tide is a tricky undertaking and Kevin Sumlin’s playbook had no answer when Jonathan Allen capitalized on a fumble 30 yards from the end zone to effectively seal another win for Alabama.
Dropouts
Ohio State 21 - 24 Penn State
Unfazed by the blustery conditions that prevailed in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions managed to mount a famous comeback against No. 2 Ohio to the delight of their fans and the dismay of the Beaver Stadium groundsman.
Poor passing and at times nonexistent QB protection on the part of the visitors allowed James Franklin to taste his first ever victory over ranked opposition as Penn State’s head coach.
Penn State Scores 17 unanswered points in 4th Quarter vs #2 Ohio State to Win Biggest Game in Decades!#PSUwhiteout #PSUvsOSU #PennState pic.twitter.com/EP8LCzbudf — Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) October 23, 2016
After a scoreless first quarter, the Buckeyes breached the unranked program’s end zone first and took a five-point cushion into the locker room at half time (12-7). But a determined second-half performance by the home team ensured that Happy Valley lived up to its name by time the fourth quarter reached its conclusion.
In the end Grant Haley’s dramatic 60-yard touchdown clinched the win for Penn State and just like that Ohio’s membership to the Perfect Season club was revoked.