beIN SPORTS

By Des Norris 

Scholars

Michigan State 36-28 Notre Dame

If there were one Queen song that sums up Notre Dame’s playoff chances after Saturday’s action, it has to be ‘Another Bites The Dust’.

Appropriately it was with help of a man named O’Connor that the Spartans were able to out scrap the Fighting Irish and record their second straight win of 2016.

Brian Kelly’s charges started brightly, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but an incredible 36-point-without-response rally from the home team dashed any hopes the Irish might have had of treating the Indiana crowd to a home win.

The aforementioned Tyler O’Connor was imperious in his duties as QB, completing 19 of his 26 pass attempts to forge out a total of 241 yards, as well as an additional 43 yards through rushing.

Dropouts

Florida State 20-63 Louisville

Yowzers! Who saw that one coming?

With two impressive victories under their belts coming into the Cardinal Stadium, the Seminoles were odds-on favorites to dispatch of their hosts yesterday.

However, the college football script writing Gods decided that was all too predictable an outcome and instead opted for an early Top-10 plot twist.

The game was the story of two QBs: Lamar Jackson and Deondre Francois. Louisville’s No. 8 added to his Heisman Trophy-chasing credentials yet again with another spellbinding performance – this time rushing 146 yards from 17 carries, four of which made it across the end zone line.

For Francois though it was a day to forget. The FSU freshman could only muster up a 38.8% pass completion rate against a relentless home defense that left its mark on the 19-year-old with five sacks and one interception.

Class Clowns

Alabama 48- 43 Ole Miss

When it comes to squandering double-digit leads, no one is in a league with The Rebels.

As was the case against Florida State on the opening day of the season, Ole Miss was once again left empty handed despite taking the score to 24-3 at one stage in the second quarter.

Eager to capitalize on the Seminoles’ surprise defeat in Louisville earlier in the day, the Crimson Tide summoned all its powers to overturn the deficit and beat the Rebels for the first time in three attempts.

That’s not to say the game didn’t go right down to the wire. Ole Miss showed plenty of spirit after succumbing to 45-6 run and, by scoring two touchdowns during the closing stages of the fourth quarter, ensured a there was frenzied and nervy finish at the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. But those last-gasp efforts were too little too late and the Tide managed to hold onto its narrow lead.

This result puts any aspirations the Hugh Freeze-led program has of reaching the playoffs in quite a spot of bother.