Purdue Boilermakers vs Michigan Wolverine at The Big House on, November 04, 2023. (Photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News )
Ann Arbor, MI- No.2 The Michigan Wolverines dismantle the Purdue Boilermakers as they move to 9-0 with a 41-13 home victory.
Purdue tried to stand its ground giving the Wolverines as much as they have handled all year. The defense stepped up with three sacks on Heisman candidate JJ McCarthy. Even recovering a fumble for another offensive series.
Boilermakers signal caller Hudson Card was only able to throw for 144 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 12/28.
Purdue Boilermakers vs Michigan Wolverine at The Big House on, November 04, 2023. (Photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News )
“It’s the team defense just kind of having all the guys moving around and different people that are able to make a lot of big plays,” Michigan linebacker Michael Barrett said. “We’ve got a lot of great players on the defense — you can’t watch everybody at the same time
Receiver Deion Burks (4) lead Purdue with 3 catches for 43 yards and the only touchdown. Teammate Mershawn Rice (9) had big catch of the day with a single 43 yards reception.
The Wolverines ground games was the star of the afternoon with 5 touchdowns lead by Blake Corum (2) who reached endzone 3 times for 44 yards on 15 carries.
Purdue Boilermakers vs Michigan Wolverine at The Big House on, November 04, 2023. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News )
The Purdue defense was just over powered after the gameplan to slow down McCarthy went into effect. He was held to 355 yards in the air on 24/37 pass with no trips to the endzone.
“We were already super close as a unit, but with more stuff coming in — the noise — we just think of it as us against the world,” McCarthy said.
Michigan now 9-0 and will play No. 11 Penn State, Maryland, and No. 1 Ohio State to close the season, this matchup against the Buckeyes will deciding who will represent the East in the Big Ten title game in Indiana.
Purdue Boilermakers vs Michigan Wolverine at The Big House on, November 04, 2023. (Photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
Purdue will host Minnesota Saturday November 11th with the opportunity to get back into the win column.
Coach Prime talks to Willie Gaines (20) just prior to kickoff of Stanford at Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Friday October 13, 2023. Stanford won 46 to 43 in double overtime. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
Boulder, CU- Colorado falls to 4-5 after losing at home to the 16 Oregon State Beavers 26-19. In a game that was decided by one touchdown, time management errors, and a struggling offense turned what could have been a successful comeback into another failed opportunity.
With 50 seconds left in the first half, Oregon State was up 7-3. Both offenses struggled with a collective nine punts and two fumbles. The Colorado Buffaloes began their drive backed up on their own five-yard line and under a minute left with two incomplete passes and finished with a run, allowing Oregon State to get the ball with good field position and one more time out.
And the Beavers scored with 20 seconds left in the half. Colorado lost by a touchdown, and this was the touchdown that caused it. Colorado could have run out the clock, but in trying to make plays, the team gave the Beavers the momentum.
Colorado celebrates Caleb Fauria (88) second quarter 2-point conversion against Stanford at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Friday October 13, 2023. Stanford won 46 to 43 in double overtime. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
“We dropped the pass, we should have run the ball,” Coach Deion Sanders said later. “That’s on me. I take full responsibility.”
Another factor in the first half is that Colorado’s offense struggled, only finishing with 78 yards of total offense and only three points. Days after Sanders demoted offensive coordinator Sean Lewis.
Questions over his decision were addressed after in the post-game press conference thanks to the offensive struggles.
“We’re not going to demean Sean Lewis, we’re not going to take that tone,” Sanders Said. “Sean is a good man; I think he is a good play caller. We just needed change at the time. We needed to try something else at the time, that’s what we did. I don’t look back on it. I don’t second-guess myself whatsoever because there’s more to it that what you may know. Let’s just trust the process.”
Trailing 23-5 with 13 minutes remaining in the half, the opportunity for a Colorado comeback was slim.
The Colorado defense had just allowed a touchdown and a field goal on the two previous drives while the offense was scoreless in the previous quarter, the only two points scored by Colorado in the 3rd quarter were from a defensive PAT conversion off a fumble by the Beavers on their two-point attempt.
Yet, the Colorado offense again came alive with little time left just like earlier in the season with USC, and again the team just ran out of time.
The offense responded to the Beavers field goal with a nine play 75-yard drive, ending with a Travis Hunter touchdown off a 15-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders.
Hunter, a bright spot on the team, stayed mostly silent until this drive; he finished the game with eight receptions and 98 yards.
But the defense failed to stop Oregon from taking a time off the clock and remaining scoreless. As Oregon drove down to end with a 41-yard field, taking 4:47 off the clock. With over 4 minutes left, Colorado was down by two scores.
Yet again the team drove down the field and scored another touchdown, this time ending with a 12-yard pass from Sanders to Anthony Hankerson. There was 1:42 seconds left in the game at this point.
And Oregon took advantage of Colorado’s mistakes, including bad time management, as the Colorado coaching staff forgot to call a time out immediately after a rushing attempt by Oregon.
Coach Sanders blamed himself for the bad time management, but he also defended himself and the coaching staff.
“I make a decision to help this team win. You guys don’t know all the intangibles yet. You’re just looking from the outside of the crib, looking in.
Colorado is home for the final time this year, taking on the 6-3 Arizona Wildcats at noon Saturday Nov. 11.
San Diego, CA – Aztecs can’t keep pace with Utah State in a double-overtime loss 32-24 with the Aggies going for two to seal the deal.
Ike Larsen sealed the deal with one interception of the game on Jalen Mayden (18) on the fourth play in OT.
Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News
“Super excited with the outcome,” Utah State head coach Blake Anderson said. “It was a tough night. Really nothing went well offensively early. Their (defensive) front created problems for us all night.”
San Diego St. had a solid gameplan that just couldn’t close the deal in regulation, despite Utah St losing its starting quarterback midway throughout the game. This turned out to be just what they needed.
Cooper Legas (5) threw two touchdowns for 167 yards on 11/15 passes for the Aggies. Starter McCae Hillstead (10) threw 12/16 passes and 62 yards before leaving.
Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News
Signal caller Mayden (18) carried his team on his back but just fell short. He was able to keep his team close by throwing 3 touchdowns for 265 yards on 25/39 passes.
“That was huge,” Anderson said. “I don’t know how you quantify it, but nobody wants to go into the last three games having to bat .1000. We needed to get this one. It was a game that was winnable, although it is difficult to win on the road against anybody.”
Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News
Now Utah St moves to 4-5 record getting a step closer to being back in bowl eligibility, so these last few games will be key. Saturday they will host Nevada at noon on November 11th.
San Diego St. will travel to Colorado St on November 11th at 4pm.
INGLEWOOD, CA– After dropping consecutive games, it was a must win for the Los Angeles Chargers heading into their match up against the Chicago Bears on NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ at majestic SoFi Stadium on October 29th. In front of a National audience, Justin Herbert and the Bolts played their most complete and best game of 2023, moving to (3-4) on the season.
It was all Chargers from the kickoff, Quarterback Justin Herbert found Running Austin Ekeler for a 39-yd touchdown pass. Ekeler is such an excellent dual threat in the backfield, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore made a wonderful decision by making Ekeler be the focal point of the offense.
Herbert went 31-of-40 for 298 yards and had three touchdowns in the win for the Chargers. Ekeler had 29 rushing yards on 15 carries, but had another 94 yards on seven catches. Keenan Allen added 69 yards on eight grabs.
Herbert completed his first 15 passes to begin the game as the quarterback led the Chargers on four-straight scoring drives to begin the first half.
Charger fans need not worry about the defense. It’s a well oiled machine; stifling the Bears and rookie QB Tyson Badget. Bagent went 25-of-37 for 232 yards with two interceptions for the Bears in the loss. The Chargers defense was led by linebacker Eric Kendricks, who had 10 tackles. Cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor and safety Derwin James each had interceptions.
Badget, a former Division II star who went undrafted out of Shepherd University was making his second start in place of Justin Fields, who is dealing with a thumb injury. He led the Bears to a 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday, so naturally the hype train and beleaguered Bears fans hoped he might be the one.
The Bears have lost their last four games in Los Angeles and haven’t won in the city since the 2018 season, when they defeated the L.A. Rams, 15-6, at the Coliseum. Three of those defeats were in front of a national television audience.
“We’ve been in search of a game like this,” coach Brandon Staley said. “I felt like our guys really earned it.” It was a great second half from the Chargers, an area of concern over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully, the Chargers hope this trend continues.
America and NFL fans cannot get enough of the Los Angeles Chargers, next week the Chargers travel to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
Way back when before UCLA faced Colorado on their schedule, to them this was just another game. Since joining the Pac-12, UCLA has had their number 9 of 12 times.
What could have been all the buzz was created by all the hype Deion Sanders brought to this Buffaloes team. A 2-0 start was thwarted by Oregon’s beatdown. Since that game, their season went from all the hype to just another team on the schedule.
Fans of college football think otherwise, however. The game was a sellout just weeks before kickoff. Third party markets had cheap seats marked at well over $150. The press room, which normally is less than half full, used every seat just like they would in every Rose Bowl game. All this for a game that featured a UCLA team that needs to win out to clinch a spot in a Pac-12 title game, and a Colorado team that is squeaking by teams in the bottom of the conference and losing hope before the first drive against ranked teams.
This was the kind of game that the Bruins have been looking for: a packed house and a crowd sold on this team. They saw, however, a Bruins team that somehow ran into a heavily motivated Buffaloes team knowing their schedule doesn’t get easier after this week. The game didn’t turn out pretty, but a 29-17 win at the very least gives the Bruins a nice path to a lot of possibilities.
“The combination of a large crowd and Terry Donahue’s statue the night before was fitting for all of us,” head coach Chip Kelly said. “This was much needed. Our defense was big while our offense had a lot of holes. Give credit to the all around effort that put us in a great position.”
Garbers (Photo by Full Image 360)
Ethan Garbers revived his UCLA career with a second chance at quarterback after performing well against Stanford last week. He was met by just about every Colorado defensive lineman, being sacked three times. However, he was rarely put under pressure without being hurried, and his 20-for-27, 269 yard night with two touchdowns made his first half blunder with his lone interception made it seem like he earned back his starting role.
“After the first interception, in my head I kept telling myself one play at a time and I needed to just let the game flow,” Garbers said. “Those turnovers were just mistakes and they can be fixed. We knew our defense was doing their job and we had to pick it up. Our offense has a lot of resiliency.”
“Ethan is a resilient kid, and you can’t dwell on the pass that got Colorado a turnover early,” Kelly said. “He is still learning but he has grown quickly.”
Sanders cause a fumble with a with a big hit on Steele. (Photo by Full Image 360)
Pass interferences and turnovers were the storyline of the UCLA defense. A number of UCLA corners tangled up with Colorado receivers. In each instance the Buffaloes were not able to take advantage, where their only scoring drives led to field goals that at one point just kept the game close. Shilo Sanders’s stats were padded at the end with his lone touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. He ended the night going 27 for 42 with just over 215 yards.
“Our offense had a lot of holes, but credit to the defense that gave us all the momentum we needed,” head coach Chip Kelly said. “We have a lot to review and improve upon. This game gave us a lot of momentum when we needed it most.”
Coach Prime (Photo by Full Image 360)
UCLA has a very favorable schedule moving forward. The matchup against USC could be the turning factor to see where the season could end up. As they are now bowl eligible, their remaining opponents are should-wins that could put them as a Pac-12 title contender.
“We analyze everything during the week and everything can change,” Kelly said. “We always play our strategy on game day and from there we get ourselves ready to go knowing we have big games ahead.”
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – No. 8 Oregon faced an early hiccup in their showdown with No. 13 Utah on Saturday afternoon, but it was the only roadblock in a dominant 35-6 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The win marked the first time in 19 attempts that an opponent had bested the Utes.
Following a brief delay of game penalty on the first play of the game, Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) quarterback Bo Nix and his offense relentlessly pursued their path against the Utah defense, setting the tone for a memorable victory. The Ducks employed an uptempo strategy that kept the Utes on their toes, and Nix orchestrated an opening drive, requiring just six plays to find the end zone. A powerful 16-yard rush by running back Bucky Irving set the stage, with Nix finishing the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
Photo by Jason Strother / fi360 News
For Utah (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12), the game never approached a competitive level after the highly anticipated visit from ESPN College GameDay. The Utes simply couldn’t match the firepower of the Oregon team, widely regarded as a contender for a College Football Playoff spot.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham expressed his frustration with the game’s outcome, saying, “Not a lot of positives in that game for us. That’s as thoroughly and soundly we’ve been beaten in a long time, particularly at home here. Give Oregon credit, they are a complete football team.”
Oregon extended their lead with two more scores in the first half, including an 18-yard touchdown pass from Nix to Jordan James and a 3-yard toss to Troy Franklin. Nix showcased his Heisman Trophy contender status and the title of the country’s best quarterback in terms of passing completion percentage.
Photo by Jason Strother / fi360 News
Despite Utah defensive tackle Junior Tafuna’s forced fumble and recovery, and kicker Cole Becker adding a 32-yard field goal, the Utes struggled to generate momentum. Oregon punted twice at the end of the first half but made halftime adjustments to resume scoring in the second half. A 12-play, 76-yard drive was capped by a 9-yard rushing touchdown by Irving, increasing Oregon’s lead to 28-6.
The Utes attempted to gain some traction with a backward pass from Mikey Matthews to Dijon Stanley on a 49-yard return after the ensuing kickoff. However, Utah’s quarterback Bryson Barnes threw an interception on the subsequent drive, allowing Oregon to score once more. Traeshon Holden’s 5-yard run into the end zone concluded a five-play, 52-yard drive.
Bo Nix ended the game with 248 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an additional 1-yard rushing touchdown. On the Utah side, Barnes suffered his first loss as a starter, completing 15-of-29 passes for 136 yards and two interceptions.
Photo by Jason Strother / fi360 News
Coach Whittingham acknowledged Oregon’s dominance, saying, “They’re very deserving of their ranking, and I’ve got a ton of respect for what they’re doing up there. They took it to us today, and so we’ve got to regroup.”
The game left the Utah fans reeling as they faced cold and windy conditions, with many departing before the final whistle. Oregon’s comprehensive victory solidified their position as a formidable force in the college football landscape.
INGLEWOOD, CA– 73,471 elated fans at SoFi Stadium watched the Pittsburgh Steelers score 14 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 24-17 on Sunday, October 21st. Miscues once again cost the Rams-turnovers and two missed field goals allowed the Steelers to rally late to notch the victory.
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett converted on a fourth-down quarterback sneak at the two-minute warning to ice the game. The controversial spot was a horrible conclusion to an uneven performance by the Rams, who fall to 3-4 on the season frustrating fans by repeating the same fatal errors week after week.
Pickett got that generous spot to convert a fourth-and-1 at the Los Angeles 38, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris rushed for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and the Steelers awoke from a quiet offensive day.
Coach Sean McVay was unable to challenge the spot because the Rams were out of timeouts, and the play occurred just outside the window that would have resulted in a booth review.
Cooper Kupp makes a catch. (Photo by Jevone Moore)
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 231 yards and hit Tutu Atwell for a 31-yard touchdown right before halftime for Los Angeles, which dropped to 1-3 at home this year. Although T.J. Watt stepped in front of Stafford’s first pass of the second half deep in Rams territory and returned his seventh interception a career-best 24 yards, setting up Pickett’s 1-yard sneak for the Steelers’ first rushing touchdown of the entire season.
These interceptions are back breaking for the Rams, a common theme from all of their losses this year.
Rookie sensation Puka Nacua had eight catches for 154 yards, but the Rams struggled for consistent offense after halftime, scoring no points on their final three drives and managing only 20 yards while completing no passes in the fourth quarter. Brett Maher also missed two long field-goal attempts and an extra point.
“It’s just execution,” said Stafford, who failed to complete a pass in a fourth quarter with at least four attempts for only the second time in his 15-year NFL career. “We can’t have chances to make plays that are going to change the game one way or the other and not make those. We’ve got to be more consistent, and the only way to do that is to continue to work.”
Puka Nacua (Photo by Jevone Moore)
Stafford went just 14-of-29 for 231 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss for the Rams, falling below .500 in the disappointing loss.
Los Angeles mounted an 88-yard drive shortly before halftime capped by the long TD catch by Atwell, who alertly cut in front of a pass apparently intended for Cooper Kupp from a scrambling Stafford.
The Steelers managed just 91 yards of offense in the first half and failed to convert a third down. They still tied it with 13:49 to play when Diontae Johnson’s 39-yard catch set up Warren’s 13-yard scoring run. Johnson had five catches for 79 yards in his return from injury.
Pickens after a catch. (Photo by Jevone Moore)
George Pickens made four of his five receptions for 107 yards in the second half of Pittsburgh’s first win over the Rams in Los Angeles, where the Steelers had been 0-10. There were terrible towels flailing above there heads, as Steelers Nation was well represented at SoFi.
Darrell Henderson rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown in his season debut for Los Angeles, and Royce Freeman got 66 yards on his first carries of the season.
Henderson was released last November after 3 1/2 seasons with the Rams, and the Super Bowl winner was out of the league this fall until LA re-signed him last week when Kyren Williams went on the Injured Reserve list with a bad ankle after a terrific performance last week against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams had one last chance on offense, but Matthew Stafford threw three straight incomplete passes before his team punted the ball away with just more than five minutes left. That was the last time they held the ball.
Rapper Blue Face receives Porter game worn Jersey. (Photo by Jevone Moore)
Up next for the Rams, a visit to AT&T Stadium to face the Dallas Cowboys. Hopefully, the Rams can rebound after the loss and return to their winning over America’s Team.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 21: Utah Utes quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) runs the ball for a gain during a college football game between the Utah Utes against the USC Trojans on October 21, 2023, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 News)
Los Angeles, CA – With USC’s college football playoff hopes on a lifeline, Caleb Williams and the Trojans fall just a bit short in their comeback attempt, 34-32 against Utah at home.
The Trojans dropped back-to-back games for the first time in the Lincoln Riley era, and with the second loss, it effectively takes them out of the playoff hunt as no two-loss team has ever made the CFP.
Riley was blunt about the team’s performance this season.
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 21: USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) runs the ball for a gain during a college football game between the Utah Utes against the USC Trojans on October 21, 2023, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 News)
“Obviously it’s not how any of us scripted this, but you can’t script it, it’s college football,” he said.
After the game, no players were made available for post game questions.
Caleb Williams was electric to start the game. He was 6-6 for 68 yards in the first quarter as USC and Utah traded blow for blow.
The Utes offense relied on third string quarterback Bryson Barnes to run the offense. He started off by throwing a 53-yard touchdown to Sione Vaki on the third play of the game.
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 21: USC Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) runs the ball for a touchdown during a college football game between the Utah Utes against the USC Trojans on October 21, 2023, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 News)
Despite the hot start from the Trojan offense, Utah reminded everybody why they are rated as a top ten defense in the country as they held USC to just three points in the second and third quarters of the game, with the points coming from a Denis Lynch field goal with time expiring in the third quarter.
Utah found their groove in the third quarter offensively after not scoring any points in the second quarter, as Bryson Barnes found Landen King for a six yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine play drive. Barnes also linked back up with Vaki for their second touchdown connection of the night.
Down 28-17 and with their backs against the wall and playoff hopes slipping away, it was all-American safety Calen Bullock to rescue the Trojans with an interception returned 30 yards for a touchdown on the Utes first drive of the fourth quarter.
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 21: Utah Utes running back Ja’Quinden Jackson (3) runs the ball for a gain during a college football game between the Utah Utes against the USC Trojans on October 21, 2023, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 News)
However, the late game heroics wouldn’t be enough as Utah would tack on six points coming from two field goals which included the game winner. An 11 play, 69 yard drive led by Barnes as late in the drive, he picked up a huge 26-yard gain on 2nd and 15 to seal the Trojans fate. Cole Becker’s 38 yard field goal as time expired decimated the hearts of Trojan fans across the country.
Riley remains confident in his squad despite the loss.
“There is a real opportunity for this team, this team can do it,” Riley put firmly.
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 21: USC Trojans wide receiver Tahj Washington (16) after a big gain during a college football game between the Utah Utes against the USC Trojans on October 21, 2023, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 News)
Next week USC travels to Cal to take on the Golden Bears in their final meeting as Pac-12 foes.
The Utes have a huge home date next week against Oregon as that will be a top 15 matchup in Salt Lake City.
EUGENE, OR – Following a heartbreaking loss last week to the now No. 5 Washington Huskies, the No. 9 Oregon Ducks (5-1) returned to Autzen Stadium Saturday where they hosted the Washington State Cougars (4-2). The Ducks had to shake off some rust early during their homecoming game but avoided the dreaded letdown after an impressive second half effort, defeating the Cougars 38-24.
The Ducks struggled early, leaving their first three possessions with only 3 points. Camden Lewis, who missed a field goal last weekend that would have sent the Ducks to overtime against the Huskies, missed a 47-yard field goal on Oregon’s opening drive. Lewis was able to shake the nerves on his second attempt, however, tying the game at 6 to end the first quarter.
Momentum shifted for Oregon as they finally found their spark in the second quarter, which was led by running back tandem Bucky Irving and Jordan James. Both running backs recorded over 100 rushing yards on the day.
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News
In the second quarter, James quickly marched the Ducks from their own 28 yard-line on 5 carries for 57 yards, setting Irving up with short distance where he punched in their first touchdown of the day from the 2-yard line.
Washington State tried to answer Oregon’s score but failed to convert on 4th down as Oregon successfully defended a wide receiver pass by Lincoln Victor. Following the failed conversion, Oregon pulled out a trick play of their own when Bo Nix walked to the left side of the line as if to call out a blocking adjustment to his line, and a direct snap to Jordan James caught Washington State off guard, resulting in a first down for the Ducks. The drive was capped by a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Nix, giving the Ducks their first lead of the game at 17-10.
After the game Bo Nix spoke on the second quarter spark the run game gave his offense, stating “That was huge. We pretty much just ran the ball [in the second quarter]… Obviously got the scoring going, and that was good for us”.
Oregon pulled away in the second half, as the Cougars were unable to match the offensive success of the Ducks. To counter the run game, Washington State started bringing an extra man up in the box, which allowed Oregon’s passing game to get going. Bo Nix finished the day 18/25 for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nix connected with Tez Johnson Bucky Irving on his two touchdown passes.
Autzen Stadium fell silent when Bucky Irving appeared to be unconscious after his helmet was slammed into the ground on a 3-yard rush. Irving was ultimately able to walk to the medical tent under his own power and return to the game, which is a huge sigh of relief for the Ducks. Irving is an integral piece of Oregon’s team, and finished the day with 180 all-purpose yards, and 3 total touchdowns. Head coach Dan Lanning described Irving after the game by saying “This dude is so passionate. He cares so much for his teammates. Never goes down on first contact. Really selfless player, and that shows up when you watch this guy play on the field.”
Washington State was able to score their second touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Cameron Ward found Isaiah Hamilton for a 16-yard score, then successfully found Kyle Williams on a two-point conversion, bringing the score to its final at 38-24.
Dreams of playing in the College Football Playoff are still very much alive for Lanning and his Ducks, but the road there won’t be easy. Oregon will head to Utah next Saturday, to face the No. 14 Utes at 12:30 PST.
DALLAS (FWAA) – Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts’ two interceptions off USC quarterback Caleb Williams would have been notable enough in the No. 21 Irish’s 48-20 domination over the No. 10 Trojans. But in addition to scoring those picks off the reigning Heisman Trophy winner that set up Irish touchdowns, Watts also scored one himself on a fumble return that sealed Saturday’s primetime affair. For playing a key role on three of Notre Dame’s six touchdowns, Watts earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 14, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
Players may be added or removed from the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list during the course of the season. If not already on the watch list each week’s honored player, including Watts this week, will be added at that time. Already on the preseason watch list from Notre Dame are linebacker JD Bertrand and cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
Watts, a 5-11, 200-pound senior safety but with junior eligibility from Omaha, Neb., stood out among all defenders Saturday. Watts made seven tackles to go with a forced fumble and a pass breakup. His fumble-return touchdown went 15 yards, and he took his interception returns back 61 yards.
His impact was notable in the transitions on the play-by-play ledger. Both of Watts’ interceptions resulted in Notre Dame touchdowns. The first came on USC’s game-opening drive, and the 38-yard return to the USC 12 led to the Irish’s first touchdown and set the tone for Notre Dame’s commanding defensive play. The next pick came in the second quarter, which he returned 23 yards to the USC 2. Notre Dame scored on the next play. Later in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame forced a USC fumble that Watts scooped up and returned 15 yards for the Irish’s final score. On USC’s final drive, Watts forced a fumble to allow Notre Dame to close the game in victory formation.
Watts and the Irish defense held a USC team that came into the game leading the nation in scoring offense (51.8 ppg) to just 20 points, and USC’s passing offense that was third in the nation (355.2 ypg) gained only 199 yards through the air. On the season, Notre Dame’s defense now ranks third nationally in passing yards allowed (153.1), fourth in team passing efficiency defense (97.49), fourth in red zone defense (0.640), sixth in passes intercepted (9) and seventh in defensive touchdowns (2).
Worth noting for future trivia reference – Watts is the only player to individually intercept Caleb Williams twice in one game in Williams’ college career.
Watts, who began his Notre Dame career as a wide receiver, has been a playmaker and score-maker all season. All four of his interceptions that currently tie for third in the FBS have set Notre Dame up in the red zone and directly led to 24 points. And he now has Saturday’s fumble return touchdown on his ledger as well.
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in 2012 and is the Irish’s lone winner. Fellow linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a finalist for the award in 2020, as was cornerback Shane Walton in 2002. The Fighting Irish have had a defensive back earn FWAA All-America status in three of the past five seasons – two-time first-team All-America safety Kyle Hamilton did it in 2020 and 2021, and cornerback Julian Love earned it in 2018, also on the first team.
The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from the five finalists named in November. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football, then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.
Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. For 120 years, we have been deeply committed to the consumers, customers, and communities we serve and are passionate about the broad portfolio of beverages and services we offer. We make, sell, and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies in more than 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia to approximately 60 million consumers. We are based in the Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic portion of the United States. Behind every new flavor and timeless classic is something bigger. Our 17,000 teammates pour their hearts into their work every day. Some say you can’t bottle this kind of passion, but we do it every day for you. At Coca-Cola Consolidated, we strive to fulfill our Purpose – to honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence, and to grow profitably. At the core of our culture is a focus on service. Our teammates have a passion for serving each other along with our consumers, our customers, and our communities. We offer a range of nonalcoholic beverage products and flavors, including both sparkling and still beverages, designed to meet the demands of our consumers. Our sparkling, or carbonated, beverages include the trademark Coca-Cola brand and our still beverages include energy products and non-carbonated beverages such as bottled water, tea, ready to drink coffee, enhanced water, juices, and sports drinks.
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the club has grown as well as diversified boasting a sponsor team of more than 80 companies. The Club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches. Through individual and corporate support, nearly $3,000,000 has been raised and donated to benefit the Touchdown Club’s scholarship efforts.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
