The final week of the regular season for Texas high school football is nigh upon us. Between tonight and Saturday, thousands of seniors across the state will be putting on their helmet and pads for what they already know will be the last time, while others hope to stave off the end of their season for at least one more week by getting their team into the playoffs. And teams who have already punched their ticket into the postseason just want to end their regular season on a good note and with all of their players healthy.

Health has been an issue for a number of Texas Longhorn commits. Cameron Rising’s season ended two weeks ago when he injured his knee while diving for a touchdown. Brennan Eagles has sat out his team’s past three games with an unspecified injury. Rondale Moore and Reese Moore (no relation) both sat out games earlier in the season while nursing injuries, but returned to put up strong statistical performances. Byron Hobbs missed a little over half of his team’s season after dislocating his collarbone in Week 2. Jalen Green injured a shoulder a few weeks ago and may very well have played his last high school game. And B.J. Foster, Tom Herman’s highest-rated commit (currently #17 in the 247Sports Composite Rankings) and a player who already missed over a season’s worth of games between his sophomore and junior seasons, was injured last week and will have to sit out another week or two before he’s able to return.

If you’re keeping count at home, that’s three of UT’s four highest-rated commits who have missed multiple games this season due to injury. Hopefully those young men all make a full recovery and are back to 100% by the time they report to Austin next year.

While high school football in Texas is just concluding its regular season, Lone Star State gridders’ counterparts in California and Oklahoma will play their first playoff games this week, and Kentucky’s playoffs are entering their second week.

Of UT’s 19 current commits (18 seniors from the 2018 class and one junior), 13 are either already in the postseason or have seen their teams punch their ticket, only two have been definitively eliminated, and three need wins this week to assure that their senior seasons don’t end before Veterans Day.

After this week, these reports will necessarily begin to get shorter, as teams are eliminated from the playoffs and there’s progressively less action to re-cap or upcoming games to preview. If recent history is any guide, these posts will still likely continue all the way up to state championship week, as – by my count – at least one state championship team from each of the past 21 Texas high school seasons has had a future Texas Longhorn on its roster.

2018 Texas Longhorn football commits

QB Cameron Rising (Newbury Park, California)

Last week: Did not play in a 42-17 win over Thousand Oaks.

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:00, at Citrus Hill (Perris, California) in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.

Notes: Cameron Rising suffered a knee injury in the 4th quarter of Newbury Park’s October 27 loss to Moorpark, and is likely done for the season. As it turned out, his injury was thankfully not a torn ACL, but Super K of The Football Brainiacs reported last week that Rising’s knee injury would still “require 6-8 weeks of recovery time.”

In Rising’s absence last Friday, Newbury Park had a lot of success with its ground game, rushing for 226 yards and 3 TDs in a convincing win over Thousand Oaks. Newbury Park’s leading rusher was freshman Christian Middleton, who had 108 yards and 2 TDs on ten carries.

The win broke a three-game losing streak and saved Newbury Park from finishing winless in Camino League play. The Panthers finished the regular season 5-5 and were 1-3 in league play. They were one of three teams to receive an “at large” bid for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section’s Division 3 playoffs. The CIF’s Southern Section has 18 teams in Division 3, and 16 of them earned playoff bids.

Newbury Park’s first round opponent is Citrus Hill, a team that went 9-1 in the regular season and ran the table on its Mountain Pass League opposition, going 5-0 and outscoring its league foes by an average score of 50-12. Citrus Hill was the 3rd-ranked Division 3 team in the Southern Section going into the final week of the regular season. Citrus Hill’s lone defeat of the season was a 30-0 shutout loss on September to Rancho Cucamonga, the 6th-ranked Division 1 team in the Southern Section. Newbury Park and Citrus Hill did not have any common opponents in the regular season.

QB Casey Thompson (Newcastle, Oklahoma)

Last week: Completed 15 of 21 passes for 215 yards and 4 TDs, and rushed 16 times for 205 yards and 1 TD in a 41-23 win over Cache.

This week: No game, Newcastle did not qualify for Oklahoma’s Class 4A playoffs

Notes: Casey Thompson accounted for 420 offensive yards and 5 total TDs last Friday and helped his Newcastle team end its season on a high note with a 41-23 win that spoiled the postseason hopes of their opponent, Cache. Newcastle finished the season 3-7 overall and 3-4 in district play.

I wrote in last week’s post that Newcastle might still have a chance at a playoff berth, since a win over Cache coupled with a Clinton win over Elgin would have resulted in those four teams all finishing with district records of 3-4 and in a tie for fourth place, and tiebreakers would have been required to determine who got the district’s fourth and final playoff spot. But that scenario was averted when Elgin beat Clinton, 21-14, and an article in The Oklahoman that painstakingly described District 4A-1’s various playoff scenarios going into last week’s games suggested there was no possibility of Newcastle emerging with a playoff bid.

According to The Oklahoman’s high school stats page, Casey Thompson’s senior year stats were: 221 completions on 383 pass attempts (57.7% completion percentage) for 3,217 yards, 37 TDs and 9 interceptions, and 153 carries for 884 yards and 8 TDs. In his 9th-11th grade years, all spent on the varsity squad at 6A Southmoore, Thompson passed for a total of 6,580 yards, 70 TDs and 17 INTs, and rushed for 2,150 yards and 39 TDs on 361 carries.

Southmoore offensive coordinator Jeff Brickman was hired as Newcastle’s head coach last spring, and a number of Southmoore football players – most notably Casey Thompson, his brother Cade (a junior receiver), and incoming senior receiver Jacob Morris – eventually made the move to Newcastle as well. The two schools are roughly 6 miles apart – as the crow flies – and their attendance zones border each other, so it wasn’t a radical transfer but it wasn’t without some local controversy.

In both of its previous two seasons Newcastle had finished with with 1-9 records. With Coach Brickman at the helm and new QB Casey Thompson under center this fall, the Newcastle Racers finished 3-7. That may seem like a modest improvement, but consider that the 2017 Racers not only had one more win than in their previous two seasons combined, they also scored 42 more points than their 2015 and 2016 squads did! Meanwhile, Thompson’s former school, Southmoore, finished 0-10 and scored just 83 total points this season. In 2016, Thompson’s last season at Southmoore, their team finished 6-5 and scored 37 points per game.

If Newcastle’s football program was the biggest beneficiary of Casey Thompson’s transfer, wide receiver Jacob Morris was the second-biggest. As a junior at Southmoore, Morris competed for snaps and catches with three senior receivers and caught 15 passes (fifth-most on the team) for 145 yards (sixth on the team) and no TDs (his only points that season came on one carry for a two-point conversion). As a senior at Newcastle, he became Thompson’s favorite target and produced stats that made him the state of Oklahoma’s – and possibly the nation’s – most prolific pass-catcher. Morris caught 111 passes for 2,003 yards and 22 TDs this fall. According to MaxPreps, his catches and receiving yards both rank first nationally, while his 22 TDs ties him for fifth among all players whose stats have been reported to that site.

RB Keaontay Ingram (Carthage)

Last week: Rushed for four TDs in a 49-31 win over Palestine

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:30, vs. Tyler Chapel Hill

Notes: The ETSN recap of last week’s Carthage-Palestine tilt didn’t mention Ingram’s full stats, but said his four TD runs covered 4, 36, 25, and 6 yards. The first three of those came in the first half, as Carthage built an overwhelming 42-10 lead at halftime. The second half was played with a running clock, and three Palestine TDs after halftime made the final score look a bit more respectable.

With the win, Carthage improved to 9-0 for the season and 5-0 in district play, clinching the outright championship of District 9-4A Division I. The Bulldogs maintained their season-long strangle-hold on the #1 spot in the AP’s Class 4A rankings, receiving 20 of 24 first-place votes in this week’s poll. They will conclude their regular season on Friday night against district cellar-dweller Chapel Hill (0-5). Chapel Hill is winless in district play despite averaging nearly 32 points per game in those contests (they have also allowed just over 42 points per game).

When the playoffs begin next week, Carthage’s bi-district round opponent will be the 4th place team out of District 10-4A Division I, which has yet to be determined but will be one out of Bridge City, Cleveland, or Huffman Hargrave, the three of which go into Week 11 with identical 1-3 district records.

WR Brennan Eagles (Alief Taylor)

Last week: Team defeated Pearland Dawson, 34-21.

This Week: Thursday, November 9 at 7:00, at Richmond George Ranch

Notes: Brennan Eagles did not appear in the box score for last week’s Taylor-Dawson game and likely missed the game due to injury. A Houston Chronicle article from last week noted that he sat out Taylor’s previous game due to some unspecified injury, and it appears that he has not played in a game since Taylor’s October 6 loss to Pearland.

Needing a win over district leader Pearland Dawson last week to keep their postseason hopes alive, the Eagles-less Taylor Lions gained 416 yards, forced two Dawson turnovers and scored their first TD on an 85-yard kickoff return and defeated Dawson 34-21. Dawson was limited to 153 total yards and just 7 first downs, and only one of their three touchdowns was scored on offense; their first two scores both came on returned interceptions.

The teams were tied at 14 in the 2nd quarter, then Taylor scored on two field goals and a 18-yard TD reception from junior receiver Shea Whiting (who I’m guessing is the son of the same-named Alief Elsik alum who was a four-year basketball letterman at Louisiana-Lafayette) in the final four minutes of the first half to take a 27-14 lead. Defense largely ruled the second half, as both teams scored just one touchdown apiece.

With the win Taylor improved to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in district play, and it set up this Thursday night’s matchup with George Ranch (3-2) as a win-or-go-home battle for the final playoff spot from District 23-6A. If Taylor wins, it will be the district’s 2nd seed in the 6A Division II playoff bracket. Who they might face from District 24-6A in a potential bi-district game won’t be determined until after Friday night’s games.

George Ranch is the second-newest of the five high schools in the Lamar Consolidated ISD, and has the district’s youngest varsity football program, with the Longhorns currently playing their sixth season. After going 41-3 in its final three seasons at the 5A level (2013-2015) and winning the 2015 5A Division I state championship, George Ranch was reclassified to Class 6A and hasn’t had anything approaching the dominance it had previously. They finished 6-5 last season and are currently sitting at 5-3 and need a win on Friday to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012, the program’s first varsity season.

I haven’t found a concrete explanation anywhere for what kind of injury Eagles has that has kept him off the field for a month, and I don’t know his status for tonight’s regular season finale.

WR Rondale Moore (Trinity – Louisville, Kentucky)

Last week: Caught 5 passes for 95 yards and a TD, rushed for an 11-yard TD, and scored on a 79-yard punt return in a 70-0 win over Seneca in the first round of Kentucky’s 6A playoffs.

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:30, vs. Campbell County

Notes: Trinity got the defense of its 2016 6A state title off to a thoroughly dominating start, holding a pitiful Seneca team to just 8 offensive yards en route to their fifth straight shutout win, and sixth shutout of the season. It was Trinity’s fourth shutout win over Seneca in the span of three seasons, games it won by a combined score of 212-0.

Trinity has now won 26 straight games dating back to the beginning of the 2016 season. Its last defeat was a 20-19 loss in the third round of the 2015 playoffs to rival Louisville Male, that year’s eventual 6A state champion.

In round two they will host Campbell County (7-4), who advanced by beating Louisville Eastern 19-14 in its first round game last Friday. Eastern is the only common opponent Trinity and Campbell County have had this year. Trinity defeated Eastern 45-0 on October 6 in a game Rondale Moore sat out with an injury. Trinity retained the #9 spot in this week’s USA Today Super 25 expert rankings.

WR Al’Vonte Woodard (Houston Lamar)

Last week: Caught 4 passes for 60 yards and a TD in a 42-0 win over Houston Bellaire.

This week: Thursday, November 9 at 7:00, vs. Houston Westbury

Notes: Lamar pitched its third shutout in four weeks in last Saturday’s win over Bellaire, and has won six straight games since its season-opening 23-14 loss to Klein Collins on September 14.

In the win over Bellaire, Al’Vonte Woodard caught a TD in his second consecutive game for the first time this season. He led all Lamar receivers with 4 receptions and 60 yards. Lamar leads the District 18-6A standings at 5-0, has clinched at least a share of the district title, and will be the district’s #1 seed in the 6A Division I bracket. Their bi-district round opponent from District 17-6A won’t be determined until after this week’s game’s are played.

Lamar will conclude its regular season schedule Thursday against Westbury (3-4 overall, 2-3 in district), a team coming off a bye and which lost 14-12 to Bellaire in its last game two weeks ago.

TE Malcolm Epps (Spring Dekaney)

Last week: Caught 3 passes for 33 yards and a TD in a 66-0 win over Aldine.

This week: Thursday, November 9 at 7:00, at Aldine MacArthur

Notes: Epps caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season last week against Aldine, which leaves him one short of his career high of five TD receptions, which he grabbed in his sophomore season.

Dekaney made short work of a hapless Aldine High squad that has not won a game in just over two years. The Wildcats forced three Aldine turnovers, returned a kickoff for a touchdown, scored eight offensive TDs, and never punted.

The win brought Dekaney’s district record to 3-3, which ties them with Aldine Davis and Aldine Nimitz for third place in District 16-6A. Davis and Nimitz play district leaders Spring Westfield and Spring, respectively, on Friday, so Dekaney probably only needs to beat MacArthur tonight to secure a playoff berth, but there is one scenario that would result in five teams tied for third place with 3-4 district records, which would be a headache to untangle.

If Dekaney wins tonight, they’ll be assured a spot in the 6A Division II bracket, though whether they’ll get the district’s #1 or #2 seed in that bracket would depend on whether Nimitz or Davis comes away with the 4th playoff spot. The playoff teams from District 15-6A have already been set, so if Dekaney makes the playoffs they’ll face either Klein Collins or Houston Stratford in the bi-district round.

OL Rafiti Ghirmai (Frisco Wakeland)

Last week: Team defeated Frisco Heritage, 38-14.

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:00, at Frisco (at The Ford Center at The Star)

Notes: A week ago, Wakeland outgained Heritage 535-187, forced two turnovers, and scored the game’s last 21 points after Heritage pulled to within 17-14 with 9:48 left in the 2nd quarter. That was a must-win game for Wakeland, as there was no scenario that could have gotten them into the playoffs had they lost to Heritage.

Wakeland is 3-3 in district play and tied with Centennial, Heritage, and Independence for third place in District 13-5A. Wakeland finishes the regular season on Friday with a game against winless Frisco High, which is in last place in the district but has only been outscored by an average margin of about 14 points. Centennial and Heritage will play each other Friday night, and Independence finishes with district leader Lone Star (Class 5A’s ninth-ranked team). Wakeland has head-to-head wins over Heritage and Independence, which will get them into the playoffs should those three all lose on Friday and finish with 3-4 district records.

OL Reese Moore (Seminole)

Last week: Caught 3 passes for 64 yards and a TD in a 41-7 win over Fort Stockton.

This week: Bye

Notes: Reese Moore was Seminole’s leading receiver for the second straight week, catching three of his team’s five completed passes and gaining almost half of the team’s 131 yards through the air.

Last week Seminole jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Fort Stockton in the 1st quarter, which expanded to a 34-7 lead by halftime. Reese Moore’s TD catch was 27-yard reception with 3:13 left in the 3rd quarter, and it ended up being the game’s final touchdown. As has become habit for the Seminole Indians this season, they had a strong running game (258 yards on 47 carries) and a stifling defense, limiting Fort Stockton to 110 total yards and allowing them to convert just 6 first downs.

The win was Seminole’s ninth straight after losing their season-opener20-17 to 5A program Lubbock. With the victory, the Indians completed an undefeated run through District 2-4A Division II, giving them their first outright district title since 2011.

Seminole has completed its regular season schedule and will get a bye this week before beginning what it hopes will be a long playoff run next week. The Indians will get their district’s top seed in the playoffs and will play the fourth-place team from the five-team District 1-4A Division II. The Indians were not ranked in this week’s AP poll for Class 4A, but TexasFootball.com currently ranks them #7 among Class 4A Division II teams, with #4 Graham being the only team in their region ranked ahead of them. If they reach the Region I final of the 4A Division II bracket they’ll most likely face Graham or one of their formidable district-mates, Monahans and Sweetwater.

DT Keondre Coburn (Spring Westfield)

Last week: Team defeated Aldine Eisenhower 31-3.

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:00, vs. Aldine Davis

Notes: Last week’s Westfield-Eisenhower game was actually a close affair on the scoreboard for a long time, and only became a rout in the 4th quarter. The game was scoreless for nearly all of the first half, before Westfield scored on a 37-yard TD pass with 0:50 left in the 2nd quarter. The Mustangs then scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter to go ahead 17-0 heading into the final frame. Eisenhower scored its only points of the game on a 31-yard field goal with 8:17 left in the 4th quarter to cut the deficit to 17-3, but Westfield scored twice more in the game’s final 4:20 to put the game way out of reach.

Westfield’s defense limited Eisenhower to 46 total yards and just 4 first downs, so as with TCU’s defense last Saturday against Texas, they probably had little fear of Eisenhower mounting a comeback even when the score remained close for two and a half quarters.

Westfield remained undefeated at 8-0 (6-0 in district) and in first place in District 16-6A. The Mustangs have outscored their first six district foes 253-21. They own a head-to-head win over second place Spring (5-1 in district), so they will have the district’s top seed in whichever playoff bracket they end up in. Westfield and Spring have clinched playoff spots, with the district’s final two spots to be determined this week. If Aldine Davis gets one of the final spots, Westfield would be in the Division II bracket, but since that would only happen if Davis upsets Westfield on Friday, a win by Westfield probably puts them in Division I. I say “probably” because, as mentioned in my notes on Malcolm Epps, there’s a chance that this week could end with five teams tied with 3-4 district records.

Westfield finished just outside of the top ten in this week’s AP rankings for Class 6A, and were the top school among the “others receiving votes”. They are more highly rated by TexasFootball.com, though, which ranks them #5 among Class 6A teams this week.

LB Ayodele Adeoye (IMG Academy – Bradenton, Florida)

Last week: Made three tackles in a 32-21 win over Hoover (Alabama).

This week: Saturday, November 11 at 7:00, vs. Bishop Sullivan Catholic (Virginia Beach, Virginia)

Notes: Facing Hoover, one of Alabama’s top programs of the past decade, IMG controlled the first half and went into the break with a 23-0 lead. Hoover scored its first points on a short TD reception by George Pickens (a 2019 Auburn commit) in the 3rd quarter, but IMG answered with a long kickoff return that set them up at the four-yard line, and the score was 30-7 in short order.

With the win IMG remained unbeaten at 7-0, and the Ascenders retained the #2 spot in the USA Today Super 25 expert rankings. The school will conclude its 2017 schedule on Saturday with a home game against Virginia private school Bishop Sullivan, whose team is 5-4 for the season but has played a tough schedule that included two teams currently in the top 13 of the USA Today Super 25 rankings. Bishop Sullivan plays a “freelance” schedule, and its nine opponents have included teams from five states plus Canada. Its roster includes five-star LB Teradja Mitchell (an Ohio State commit), four-star athlete Armani Chatman (a Virginia Tech commit), three-star QB Tyler DeSue (a Maryland commit), three-star DE Dante Burke (a Temple commit), and at least three junior athletes who reportedly hold D1 offers.

LB Byron Hobbs (Fort Worth Eastern Hills)

Last week: Caught 3 passes for 48 yards in a 38-18 loss to Grapevine.

This week: Saturday, November 1 at 1:00, vs. Fort Worth Carter-Riverside

Notes: Eastern Hills has not posted its defensive stats from last week’s loss to Grapevine, but Hobbs showed up on the offensive side of the box score, catching three passes.

Eastern Hills had already been eliminated from playoff contention going into the game so the Highlanders were only playing for pride. Led by Texas Tech QB commit Alan Bowman, Grapevine’s offense scored all the points it would need in the 1st quarter. The Mustangs scored on four of their five possessions in the opening frame, with their one non-scoring possession ending with a lost fumble at the Eastern Hills 4-yard line.

Grapevine led 24-6 going into the 2nd quarter, forced a turnover on downs on both of Eastern Hills’s possessions of that quarter, and scored once more to go ahead 31-6 at the break. Eastern Hills scored twice in the 3rd quarter to cut the deficit to 31-18, and after a missed Grapevine field goal they took over to start the 4th quarter and drove all the way to the Grapevine 1-yard line with a chance to make it a one-possession game, but were stopped on 4th-and-goal. Grapevine ran 13 plays and punted on its subsequent drive, and the ball was downed at Eastern Hills’ 2-yard line. Two plays later, the Highlanders lost a fumble that Grapevine recovered in the end zone to push their lead to 38-18, which concluded the scoring for the game.

The loss dropped Eastern Hills to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in district, tying them for sixth place in the eight-team District 8-5A. Hobbs and his Highlander teammates will finish their season Saturday afternoon against 1-8 Carter-Riverside, a team that has been outscored 401-46 this season. The Carter-Riverside Eagles have historically been the definition of a mediocre program; they have had five playoff appearances in their history (since 1936), but only one of those has happened since the end of the Eisenhower administration. But this has been a bad season even by their standards. 2017 will be their lowest-scoring season in a decade, and if Eastern Hills beats them they’ll be 1-9 and finish with fewer than two wins for the first time since 2003.

DB B.J. Foster (Angleton)

Last week: Did not play in a 34-7 win over Richmond Foster.

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:30, vs. Port Lavaca Calhoun

Notes: B.J. Foster sat out last week’s matchup with Richmond Foster and Angleton’s offense wasn’t quite up to its explosive standards, but the Wildcats still came away with a convincing win over a solid team that advanced five rounds into the playoffs in 2016 and was state-ranked early this season. (Note: references to “Foster” in the game notes will refer to Foster High, not B.J. Foster, unless otherwise noted).

The teams’ offensive production was not significantly different (213 total yards for Angleton vs. 195 yards for Foster), but Foster fumbled the ball six times (losing two of them) and committed three turnovers, which resulted in 17 Angleton points. Angleton led 14-0 about mid-way through the 1st quarter. A 14-yard TD run by Foster cut the deficit to 14-7 with 2:33 left in the opening quarter, but Angleton answered with a 87-yard kickoff return TD, and they would go on to score the game’s final 20 points.

It was Angleton’s first win over Foster in five years, according to the Houston Chronicle’s recap of the game. B.J. Foster sustained an unspecified injury in Angleton’s Week 9 win over Victoria West and had to sit out last week’s game, and likely won’t return until the playoffs.

Losing a player as talented as B.J. Foster from a team’s lineup will necessarily take a very explosive element away from their offensive attack, but Angleton head coach Ryan Roark pointed out after the game that Foster missed five games during his sophomore year and eight games in his junior season, so his teammates are used to not always having to lean on him to make plays.

Angleton moved up to #5 in this week’s Class 5A rankings, and the Wildcats have outscored their opposition this season 413-28. They will conclude their regular season schedule on Friday against a Port Lavaca Calhoun team that is coming off a 76-21 win over Victoria East but has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Angleton will be the top seed from District 27-5A in the 5A Division I playoff bracket when the postseason begins next week. Who they will face in the first round has yet to be determined. The top two teams from District 28-5A (San Antonio schools Memorial and Sam Houston) are also its two smallest and will thus both be in the Division II bracket, and behind them are four teams in a tie for third place going into the season’s last week.

Region IV is by far the weakest region in Class 5A, and some of its best teams (including 4th-ranked Corpus Christi Calallen and likely undefeated Austin McCallum) are going to end up in the Division II playoff bracket. The way things are shaping up, Angleton might not face a stiff test until the fourth round (regional championship), which would very likely present them with either a re-match with Richmond Foster or a tilt with 8th-ranked Dripping Springs, the team that knocked Angleton out of last year’s playoffs by the exceedingly unusual football score of 12-11.

DB Jalen Green (Houston Heights)

Last week: Did not play in a 44-9 win over Houston Chavez.

This week: Bye

Notes: Heights played its last regular season game last week and will get a bye before the playoffs begin next week. Against Chavez, Heights didn’t have Jalen Green, who will likely be out until the first or second week of the playoffs after breaking his collarbone a few weeks ago, but they got big plays from senior wide receiver Jacoby Hopkins.

Hopkins, a three-star recruit with multiple D1 offers, made the most of his limited offensive touches, rushing for a 76-yard TD in the 1st quarter on his only carry of the game, returning the second half’s opening kickoff 91 yards to the house, passing for a 5-yard TD less than three minutes later on his one pass attempt of the game, and gaining 41 yards on his only reception of the game.

Heights led Chavez 28-9 at halftime, and Hopkins’s exploits helped expand the lead to 41-9 just three minutes into the 3rd quarter. Heights has wrapped up a playoff spot and I believe will be District 18-6A’s second seed in the 6A Division II bracket. Who they will face in the bi-district round next week hasn’t been settled yet, but it will most likely one of the top two teams from District 17-6A: Langham Creek or Houston Cy-Fair, who are both 8-0 for the season and will play each other on Saturday.

DB D’Shawn Jamison (Houston Lamar)

Last week: Returned a kickoff for a 77-yard touchdown, made 4 tackles (1 for loss), and had one pass defended in a 42-0 win over Houston Bellaire.

This week: Thursday, November 9 at 7:00, vs. Houston Westbury

Notes: D’Shawn Jamison returned the opening kickoff of last week’s Lamar-Bellaire game for a 77-yard TD, and it would be the only points Lamar needed, though the Texans didn’t stop there by a long shot. After a turnover, Lamar scored again to go ahead 14-0 just one minute into the game. They led 28-0 after one quarter and 35-0 at halftime. Lamar’s defense forced two turnovers and limited Bellaire to 3 first downs and 61 total yards, and nine Bellaire Cardinal drives ended in punts.

The game-opening kickoff return TD was Jamison’s second kickoff return score of the season, and his fourth TD of the season. He returned a punt for a TD two weeks ago and had a pick-six in Lamar’s season-opening loss to Klein Collins.

Lamar has clinched the championship of District 18-6A, and finishes its district and regular season slate tonight versus a Westbury team that has been eliminated from playoff contention. Lamar is assured the district’s top seed in the 6A Division I playoff bracket, but their bi-district round opponent won’t be determined until after this week’s games. Lamar beat Westbury 51-7 when the teams played in 2016.

DB DeMarvion Overshown (Arp)

Last week: Team defeated Harleton, 31-14.

This week: Bye

Notes: Arp needed a win over Harleton to assure that they wouldn’t miss the playoffs one year after advancing to within one round of the 3A Division II state championship, and they got the win and their playoff berth with a 31-14 victory.

I have not found any stats or a detailed recap of the game published anywhere. The win evened Arp’s district record at 3-3, putting them comfortably in fourth place in District 9-3A Division II, behind three teams at the top tied at 4-1, and ahead of three teams tied at 1-4. The Tigers have a bye in the final week of the regular season.

Arp began the season 1-4 before finishing by winning three of their last four games. For turning their season around in the second half of district play and clinching a playoff berth, the Tigers will be rewarded with a first round matchup against the champion of District 10-3A Division II, Newton.

Newton is 8-0 for the season and ranked 4th in this week’s AP poll for Class 3A. The Eagles have made mincemeat of their first four district opponents by a combined score of 256-8, which amounts to an average score of 64-2. Newton will play its final regular season game Friday night against their district’s last-place team, Frankston.

When the playoffs begin next week, Newton will be looking for revenge against the last team to beat them. The Arp-Newton bi-district round game will be a re-match of the Region III final in last year’s 3A Division II playoffs, in which Arp edged previously unbeaten Newton 13-6.

DB Caden Sterns (Cibolo Steele)

Last week: Made seven tackles and intercepted a pass in a 31-14 win over San Antonio Wagner.

This week: Thursday, November 9 at 7:30, at Schertz Clemens

Notes: As with DeMarvion Overshown’s Arp team, Caden Sterns and his Cibolo Steele teammates followed up a long 2016 playoff run by starting the 2017 season 1-4, but they have since rebounded to win four straight games and clinch a playoff spot.

In last week’s win over Wagner, Steele took a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter on two rushing TDs by Rice commit Brendan Brady, and later a third Brady TD with 3:08 left in the 2nd quarter put Steele ahead 24-6. Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter, and the contest was effectively iced when senior wide receiver Onyx Smith, a Bowling Green commit, caught a 32-yard TD pass from freshman QB Wyatt Begeal with 8:45 left in the 4th quarter to pad Steele’s lead to 31-6.

Steele sits in 4th place in District 27-6A and will be the district’s #2 seed in the 6A Division II bracket when the playoffs begin next week. Steele is 5-4 for the season but only one of their wins has come against a team with a winning record, while the four teams they’ve lost to have a combined record of 32-4 going into the final week of the regular season. Tonight’s game against rival Schertz Clemens (8-1) likely won’t affect either team’s playoff seeding but it will give the Knights a chance to prove they can beat a solid team and that they aren’t the same team that lost four straight games (albiet against very good opponents) for the first time in the program’s history in the first half of their season.

Sterns and the rest of Steele’s secondary will be tested by four-star receiver Tommy Bush, a 6’5” speedster who has six total touchdowns this season and has held a Texas offer since June. On the other side, Steele’s freshman signal-caller Begeal will be challenged by Clemens’s senior defensive back Jaques Tyler, who has six interceptions for the season, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Clemens is one of three teams (Converse Judson and Smithson Valley are the other two) tied for first in the district at 5-1. Clemens beat Smithson Valley 16-10 on October 20, and suffered their only loss of the season a week later to Judson, 31-14.

K Cameron Dicker (Lake Travis)

Last week: Made a 20-yard field goal and was good on 5 of 6 PAT attempts in a 51-7 win over Cedar Park Vista Ridge.

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:30, at Austin Vandegrift

Notes: Cameron Dicker made his first five PAT attempts in last week’s win by Lake Travis over Vista Ridge, but was not successful on his sixth and final attempt. It was his first missed extra point try in nearly a year, and only the second of his high school career (he has made 205 of his 207 attempts; how many high school kickers, or kickers at any level, get that kind of sample size over a three-year period?). He made up for that miss by nailing a 20-yard field goal attempt on his next kick.

He also had five of his seven kickoffs result in touchbacks. Lake Travis blitzed Vista Ridge to the tune of 41 first half points, which allowed their starters to mostly rest in the second half. The win clinched a playoff spot for Lake Travis, which now boasts a 7-2 overall record and is 4-1 in district play. They will finish the regular season Friday night with a game against Vandegrift that will decide the runner-up of District 25-6A. Regardless of that game’s outcome, Lake Travis will get the district’s #1 seed in the 6A Division I bracket. Their bi-district round opponent will be San Antonio Madison, which currently has a 4-5 record and is tied for third place in District 26-6A.

2019 Texas Longhorn football commit

QB Roschon Johnson (Port Neches-Groves)

Last week: Completed 22 of 29 passes for 284 yards and 4 TDs, and rushed 6 times for 21 yards and one TD in a 48-0 win over Beaumont Ozen.

This week: Friday, November 10 at 7:00, at Nederland

Notes: Port Neches-Groves led 7-0 at the end of the 1st quarter last week against Ozen, then Roschon Johnson had a hand in four touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the first half (3 passing, 1 rushing) to give PN-G a 34-0 halftime lead. He connected with senior receiver Cameron Stansbury on a 62-yard pass for his fourth scoring toss of the night early in the 4th quarter.

Johnson has accounted for at least four touchdowns in each of PN-G’s eight games so far this season. The Indians are 8-0 and have a 7-0 record in district play. With last week’s win they clinched the championship of District 22-5A. They play their last game of the regular season on Friday against 6-2 Nederland, whose only two losses of the season came by a combined ten points to Port Arthur Memorial and Beaumont Central.

PN-G and PAM are assured of postseason bids. The district’s final two playoff spots haven’t been decided yet, but regardless of what happens in this week’s games, PN-G will get the district’s #1 seed in the 5A Division II bracket, and will face either New Caney or Barbers Hill in the first round next week.

Entering the 2017 season, the Texas Longhorns couldn’t afford injuries at two key positions — left tackle and quarterback. Before halftime of the third game, the ‘Horns had already been lost All-American junior Connor Williams and had been without Shane Buechele, the sophomore starter at quarterback, for six quarters.

But those were ultimately far from the only key injuries faced by the offense, before or since.

To understand why the offense has struggled so much, it’s worth looking back on a timeline of the injuries and the resulting impact on the team.

August 8 — Elijah Rodriguez suffers a high ankle sprain

Only days into preseason camp, the prospect right tackle, redshirt junior Elijah Rodriguez, went down with a serious high ankle sprain in practice. Two days later, he had surgery that left him with an indefinite timetable for a return. Rodriguez hasn’t played this season and doesn’t appear likely to return for any of the final three games.

Impact: The injury to Rodriguez not only cost the team one of its best offensive linemen, it also left it without the most versatile player in the unit — the Houston-area product was capable of playing four positions. Ultimately, the loss of Rodriguez forced a sub-par senior — Tristan Nickelson — and an inexperienced sophomore — Denzel Okafor — into roles for which they were not prepared.

August 17 — Andrew Beck fractures his foot again

Less than 10 days later, the ‘Horns lost another key player at a position with limited depth when senior tight end Andrew Beck suffered a fracture foot. Within days, he was declared out for the season.

Impact: Entering preseason camp, Beck was the only player on the roster with experience playing the position at Texas. An effective blocker, he also had the potential to emerge as a pass catcher in a more tight end-friendly offense. Instead, his injury left the ‘Horns relying on a former wide receiver, a graduate transfer who arrived during preseason camp, and a freshman who was largely a wide receiver in high school.

September 2 — Shane Buechele suffers a bruised throwing shoulder

After an offseason spent questioning whether the sophomore could stay healthy for an entire season, it only took one game for Buechele to suffer another injury. He ultimately missed two games and showed questionable arm strength when he returned against Iowa State.

Impact: Buechele’s injury forced true freshman Sam Ehlinger into action early, with Ehlinger playing his second game on the road against No. 4-ranked USC. Injuries at the position were one of the worst-case scenarios before the season and it didn’t take long for that to come to pass.

September 9 — Patrick Hudson suffers a knee injury

Late in the blowout against San Jose State, redshirt freshman right guard Patrick Hudson went down with a non-contact knee injury after a promising performance. An MRI later revealed that he had torn his ACL.

Impact: The nation’s No. 2 offensive guard in the 2016 class was set to become a key back up for Texas in his second season on the Forty Acres and his injury left the ‘Horns thin at the guard position.

September 9 — Garrett Gray suffers a knee injury

The former wide receiver became the starting tight end after Beck’s injury and performed poorly against Maryland before suffering a knee injury against San Jose State. He hasn’t played since.

Impact: Gray likely wouldn’t have been a competent player had he remained healthy, but his injury did force freshman Cade Brewer into action long before the coaching staff would have liked. Offensive coordinator Tim Beck was left scrambling to find a way to effectively utilize Brewer.

September 16 — Connor Williams suffers knee injuries

In the season’s third game, the ‘Horns lost the one player the offense absolutely could not afford to lose — All-American left tackle Connor Williams. In the first half against the Trojans, Williams suffered a torn meniscus and sprained two of his knee ligaments. He hasn’t played since.

Impact: Not only is Williams a generational talent at the most important position on the offensive line, but the team also lacked an effective replacement with the injury to Rodriguez. As a result, Nickelson briefly took over the position, but it quickly became apparent that his lack of mobility in pass protection could single-handedly sink the offense.

September 28 — Buechele suffers an ankle injury

After returning to the starting lineup for only one game, Buechele quickly suffered another issue, as the school announced the following day that he had sprained his ankle against Iowa State.

Impact: Once again, Ehlinger was forced into the starting role.

October 14 — Jake McMillon misses game with a hand injury

An injury in practice kept McMillon, the starting right guard, out of the Oklahoma game and limited his participation in the Oklahoma State game.

Impact: With Hudson out, redshirt junior Terrell Cuney showed why he failed to receive playing time in the past — he’s undersized and susceptible to the bull rush.

October 14 — Kyle Porter suffers an ankle injury

Sophomore running back Kyle Porter carried the ball three times for seven yards against the Sooners before leaving the game with a sprained ankle. After missing the Oklahoma State game, Porter hasn’t received a carry since.

Impact: Given Porter’s lack of effectiveness as a runner, his injury wasn’t particularly significant, though he did provide value as a blocker when he was healthy.

October 21 — Ehlinger suffers a concussion

The freshman threw a brutal game-ending interception in overtime before the school revealed the next day that Ehlinger was suffering from concussion symptoms. He then sat out the Baylor game and didn’t play against TCU due to an inner ear issue that may be related to his head injury.

Impact: Just when it looked like Ehlinger was taking control of the position and the team, Texas was forced into another change at quarterback, complicating the play-calling situation for Beck.

October 21 — Zach Shackelford suffers a concussion

Just as McMillon was returning to health, starting center Zach Shackelford, a sophomore, also suffered a concussion during the game against Oklahoma State. Like Ehlinger, he didn’t play against Baylor or TCU.

Impact: Cuney was once again pushed into the startling lineup due to the injury and largely played poorly, especially against the Horned Frogs.

October 21 — Reggie Hemphill-Mapps suffers a knee injury

One of the team’s most explosive playmakers on offense missed the second half of the game against the Cowboys after sustaining a knee injury.

Impact: Hemphill-Mapps played in the next two games, but totaled only one catch for five games in those contests. As the player most capable of turning short catches into long gains, the diminished impact of the redshirt freshman has hurt the Longhorns offense.

October 28 — Toneil Carter suffers a concussion

Just as freshman running back Toneil Carter was seemingly breaking out with a 15-carry, 70-yard performance against Baylor that also included a touchdown, the speedster suffered a concussion. Carter missed the game against TCU.

Impact: The rush defense of the Horned Frogs probably wasn’t going to give up much yardage against any Longhorns running back given the state of the Texas offensive line. However, losing the pass-catching ability and explosiveness of Carter when he was finally getting an extended opportunity was certainly unfortunate.

November 4 — Denzel Okafor misses start due to injury

Nickelson started the game with the first-team offense as a result of Okafor suffering an undisclosed injury in practice, head coach Tom Herman said on Monday.

Impact: Okafor has struggled throughout much of the season after being forced into the starting role at left tackle, but he earned the role for a reason — Nickelson is a liability even at right tackle and an even bigger liability at left tackle. The ‘Horns ultimately gave up seven sacks in the game, a season high for the Horned Frogs.

Understanding how much all the injuries along the offensive line hurt the 2017 team requires some further context.

Last season, Williams and left guard Patrick Vahe combined to produce much of the yardage for Doak Walker Award winner D’Onta Foreman. And the offensive line as a whole struggled to protect Buechele, allowing 32 sacks on the season and ranking No. 108 nationally in passing down sack rate.

In other words, this was a line that needed to show some improvement without Foreman and without former starter Kent Perkins and part-time starter Brandon Hodges, who became a graduate transfer. There were no guarantees that it would have become an above-average unit even at full strength.

At the least, however, Texas could have counted on being able to pick up some yards running left and successfully protecting the blind side of the quarterback.

Ultimately, the loss of Hodges, and the subsequent fall transfer of former Under Armour All-American tackle Jean Delance severely limited depth across the entire unit — any long-term injuries to starters or back ups along the offensive line or at tight end were going to be a problem.

By the third game of the season, the ‘Horns had lost the team’s three best blockers, the back-up tight end, and the back-up guard, all to long-term injuries.

No other position group in football has to play with the same level of coordination as the offensive line, where any break down can sink the entire play. An offense that gets behind the chains and struggles to pass protect stands little chance of succeeding. Meanwhile, strength and experience are paramount in pass protection and run blocking. Texas has lacked continuity, strength, and experience for almost the entire season.

Even the more experienced players, like Vahe and Shackelford, were’t able to redshirt. McMillon redshirted, but arrived as a defensive end, moved to guard, moved back to defense, then moved back to offense again.

Meanwhile, the quarterback position has been a revolving door — neither player has started more than three games in a row the entire season, resulting in a lack of continuity at that position that has made game planning and play calling more difficult. It has also left a leadership void on the offense.

At positions that have had relative health, like running back and wide receiver, the older players have struggled to produce meaningful contributions — the two freshmen running backs are clearly the most talented players at their position and the three leading receivers are all second-year players.

And yet, the leading receiver was demoted to a back-up role three games ago. One of the two seniors at the position has hardly played most of the season because of his poor practice habits.

So Texas fans can complain about the lack of week-to-week improvements and scrutinize the issues with individual play calls, but the bottom line is that injuries play a huge role in a brutal game like football. And the ‘Horns have suffered a rash of them without the depth to insert experienced back ups as replacements.

Despite that, Texas is somehow several plays away from being a two-loss football team. In those three games, mistakes by Ehlinger and the defense were as responsible for the losses as any mistakes by Beck.

Put any of those three games in the win column and all of a sudden the entire season feels much different.

Instead, the players — and coaches — are dealing with extremely difficult situations every week.

“They look out and one minute this guy is playing and the next this guy is playing,” Beck said on Wednesday. “The next minute this guy is playing, the next minute Shane is at quarterback and the next minute Sam is at quarterback. They kind of see the revolving door. It’s hard to have any consistency when that is happening. I think that was the first game that we started the same offensive line two games in a row.”

As a result, Beck admitted several weeks ago that he was pressing as a play caller. The players are pressing, wanting to succeed. But as head coach Tom Herman has pointed out all season, the key to success is playing confidently, without hesitation, and with trust in the training provided by the coaches. Due to the circumstances, none of that has really been possible for the offense.

“They are so eager to try and do well,” Beck said. “Sometimes they are trying so hard, they are trying too hard. So we’re trying to not press, but we are pressing, we know that. It’s hard not to.”

Beck closed the press conference by noting that “most people” see the injury issues and the constant changes in personnel and understand why the team is struggling. But based on how fans perceive Beck’s job performance this season, it’s clear that many don’t understand.

And so instead of understanding why the offense consistently fails to show improvement from week to week, a difficult task due to the changing levels of competition and the challenges of a difficult schedule, fans are instead reflexively blaming Beck.

In doing so, those fans demonstrate an abject lack of understanding about why the offense is where it is.

Sad.

Thanks to UW Dawg Pound’s John Sayler for joining us to answer some questions about the Washington Huskies.

What’s the mood around the Washington fan base right now as UW faces three tough games to end the season?

Players and coaches have to take the “one game at a time” approach or else they get ahead of themselves and can lose focus on the only thing that matters: the next game. As fans, we can do whatever the hell we want, and folks are looking at these last three games plus a potential Pac-12 Championship game as a chance to prove that the team is worthy of a playoff selection. You always have those fans who want to lecture everyone that we should only be concerned with our upcoming opponent, and we have to remind those people that they are not in fact part of the actual team.

Since losing to ASU, all UW has done is beat down on a pair of pretty bad teams. Both Oregon and UCLA possess some talented players, but they are not complete football teams. There has been some fear all year long that the Husky offense is not good enough to beat really good teams, and that concern still lingers.

How does this UW team compare to last year’s excellent squad?

The offense is clearly not as good without explosive WR John Ross. Add to that season-ending injuries to three of Jake Browning’s favorite receiving targets, and the weapons in the passing game are far less dangerous than in 2016. The offensive line has been good but not great, which was the case a year ago as well.

The defense should have suffered a dropoff after three members of the secondary moved on to the NFL, then both starting corners were injured (one out for the year, one has been out since the beginning of Pac-12 play and is not back yet). But the defense is actually better than a season ago, at least from a statistical standpoint.

Overall I’d say this team is not quite as good as the one from last year, but these next few games should give us a clearer indication.

On offense, everybody knows Jake Browning’s name, but who else should Stanford fans pay attention to Friday?

Washington has three excellent tailbacks in Myles Gaskin, Lavon Coleman, and true freshman speedster Salvon Ahmed. Gaskin is the slippery jump-cut back, Coleman the one-cut downhill guy, and Ahmed is —well— fast, and is getting more and more focus in the offensive scheme as Washington searches for someone other than Dante Pettis to make explosive plays.

Pettis is the clear #1 target for Browning. That was the case entering the season, and is even more so now with the injuries to UW’s receiving corps. Look for blocking TEs Will Dissly and Drew Sample to step up in the receiving game, based on nothing other than the fact that they have helmets and uniforms and are not injured.

What are the strengths of the defense and how do they match up against Bryce Love in particular?

Washington’s defensive strength starts with their two defensive tackles, Vita Vea and Greg Gaines. These guys are really hard to block, even with two guys. The inside linebacking corps was a clear strength entering the season, but something strange has happened there. Pre-season All-American Azeem Victor fell so far on the depth chart that they have actually moved him to a defensive end/OLB position. The emergence of Ben Burr-Kirven, Brandon Wellington & DJ Beavers has not only added depth to the position, but has actually strengthened it. I’m not trying to say that all of these guys are playing ABOVE All-American level, but they are playing very, very well. I can’t help but think that Victor is not 100% right; be it health or something else.

Washington didn’t sell out against the run versus an Oregon team that clearly was not a threat to pass the football. I would expect the same philosophy against Stanford. Bryce Love doesn’t need much of a crease, so I don’t think any defense can completely shut him down. Great players make great plays.

What happened against Arizona State? Do you think the Sun Devils’ formula for an upset one that Stanford can repeat, or was it fluky?

Bear with me because I have been asked this question every week since that game, and I’m trying to not just recycle the same answer.

Ever have one of those days when you stub your toe going into the bathroom first thing in the morning? Then you go to make coffee and realize it’s gone and all you have left is some freeze-dried Folgers under the sink. After that you check your phone to find out your primary email address has 20 new spam messages. Finally, you are running late for work and when you get to your car the windshield is covered in ice…

That’s the kind of night UW had in Tempe.

I absolutely do not want to take anything away from Arizona State because they played a solid game that night. Their offense put together a really nice opening drive, then managed to avoid any major mistakes the rest of the night. Defensively, an ASU defense under Todd Graham that lives and dies by the blitz decided to show lots of blitz but bring virtually none.

Scheme can only do so much, however, and it was the way that the Sun Devils’ front seven got the better the UW offensive line that was the key. They were dropping seven into coverage and rushing just four guys, but those four were getting to Jake Browning. Browning was clearly confused by the lack of blitzes, and when he saw everyone covered, ended up holding the ball until the defense either sacked him or flushed him from the pocket.

UW still had plenty of chances to win that game, but it almost felt like it was not meant to be:

· Zero explosive plays from the offense

· A punt blocked deep in UW territory

· Two missed field goals (both under 30 yards).

Stanford is a better team than ASU from what I have seen, so an upset is certainly there for the taking.

Finally, what’s your prediction for the game?

This one is not going to be easy.

The revenge factor from last year only goes so far; it certainly didn’t prove to be enough for Oregon. Stanford has always been a disciplined football team under David Shaw, and lack of discipline is something that Chris Petersen teams absolutely feast on. UW cannot count of the Cardinal to make a ton of mistakes, and with a back like Bryce Love, six points is always just a missed tackle away.

UW has allowed teams to score on their opening drive consistently this season, and if that continues it might be enough to give KJ Costello some confidence. I don’t expect Costello to make a ton of plays, but if he is able to make a few and avoid huge mistakes, this will be a grind.

Overall, I feel UW has the advantage on both interior lines, and that is where football is generally won or lost.

UW 23, Stanford 13

1. Idea — we agree to just recycle the Golden Boot for scrap metal, and give y’all the proceeds towards BERT’s buyout?

How’s the price of gold looking these days? That might not be enough to cover that buyout. We might just need a check from Uncle Jerry Jones for this one. Plus if we’re gonna scrap a trophy we need to kill the sponsored trophy with Mizzou.

2. What is the tougher choice for BERT: choosing between Austin Allen, the little brother of Brandon, and Cole Kelley, a lineman-sized quarterback, or when he gets asked if he likes Bud Light for being less filling, or because it tastes great?

We all know Bielema loves Vegas, he’s probably going with the QB depending on what turns up on his office roulette table. It’s how he makes all his decisions and is the only explanation for how TJ Hammonds is getting less than five touches per game. The Bud Light dilemma, however, is the kind of thing that will keep a man up at night.

3. Is it true that the Waltons plan on saving on Arkansas’ next OC by just having a factory full of low-wage labor playing X-Boxes for 16 hours a day?

Of course not that’s ridiculous.

Arkansas is clearly a PlayStation school.

4. As is our custom for all Arkansas writers — what is your favorite way to consume your own team’s mascot?

I’ll take some good slow cooked pork carnitas over just about anything. Give it some good spices and put it in a taco and I’ll take it seven days a week.

Ohio State is in a must-win position against Michigan State as the two teams are essentially playing a Big Ten East championship game.

And in a lot of ways, despite the huge Vegas line favoring the Buckeyes, the Spartans are well-built to get the upset.

So how good are the Spartans? The rank just ahead of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff rankings, but still significantly behind in the S&P+. From Bill’s post on the Big Ten race:

MSU is good, but did need some turnovers luck to get by Michigan and Penn State. Based on national averages for fumble recovery rates and the ratio of interceptions to passes broken up, the Spartans’ expected turnover margin in those two huge wins was plus-zero. In real life, it was plus-seven. The average turnover is worth about five points’ worth of field position lost (by the offense) and gained (by the defense), so this discrepancy was worth around 35 points to the Spartans, who won these games by a combined seven.

So turnovers have played a significant role in the Spartans wins — but that shouldn’t be too comforting for Ohio State fans given their specific strengths and weaknesses.

Vegas favors Ohio State by a 15.5 point margin, which seems absurd on the face of it. But the raw statistics really love Ohio State because the Buckeyes’ best is the best in the country. The problem is that their floor, which we (hopefully) saw last Saturday in Kinnick Stadium, is just top-30, not top-4.

A few other notes:

• Ohio State’s average turnover margin per game has been steadily declining. Ohio State ranks 61st at just +.11/game on the year after ranking 3rd at +1.15/game last year.
• Kickoffs could be an issue, again. Michigan State ranks fifth in the country in kickoff return success rate
• Sometimes the more turnover, the better the end result. Michigan State had an insanely low percentage of returning production (116th and 107th), but appears to be better off for it.

When Ohio State has the ball

Before getting in to the specific matchup, it’s worth noting that Ohio State’s offense was not the problem in the loss to Iowa, but there were certainly some important issues that Iowa’s top-20 defense revealed: responding to defenses that take away intermediate throws, force Barrett to keep in the zone-read run game, and what happens with penalties or after offensive line injuries.

Michigan State’s defense is much-improved from last year, when they ranked 41st in the defensive S&P+ — they’re up to 9th now, and particularly excel in stopping the run. Where Iowa was ranked poorly in run defense heading in to last week’s game, and stronger against the pass, the Spartans’ strengths are flipped, ranking 6th in rushing S&P+, but 38th in passing S&P+. Like Iowa, they prevent big plays (7th in overall IsoPPP+) but they’re much worse at finishing drives, allowing an average of 4.22 points per opponent scoring opportunity (51st).

Interestingly, while they are one of the best defenses in the country at preventing runs of 5+ yards (6th, or 31.1% of runs), their run defense isn’t built so much on making plays in the backfield, ranking just 43rd in stuff rate. In fact, the defense’s success as a whole isn’t built on making havoc plays, ranking 49th in overall havoc and 71st in defensive line havoc.

So that gives us two big questions:

1. Can Ohio State run on Michigan State? This is the best run defense the Buckeyes will have seen this season. They held Saquon Barkley to 14 carries for 63 yards last week. And if the Spartans win the battle up front, how will the offense respond if forced to rely on the pass? Meyer and Wilson also mentioned ways to increase the running back’s success rate on read-based runs. That suggests we might see more dart runs or RPO variations, as well as potentially some non-read running back runs as well.
2. Can Ohio State exploit the Spartans’ relative weakness against the pass? At 38th in passing S&P+, the Spartans are still a good pass defense, but they allow a relatively high percentage of successful shorter completions. They allowed 368 yards on 50 attempts (7.4 yards per attempt) to Northwestern, then 401 yards (8.4 yards per attempt) last week to Trace McSorley. Opposing offenses have keyed on the Spartans’ pass defense, throwing on 49.9% of standard downs — which is the 5th-most in the country. All week we’ve talked about J.K. Dobbins getting the ball more — and Urban mentioned that it would be a point of emphasis this week after practice. But we should be prepared for a pass-heavy attack nevertheless, because that’s what is likely to be effective against the Michigan State defense.

When Michigan State has the ball

The Spartans don’t have the most elite offense the Buckeyes’ have seen this year, but they do have one well-positioned to take advantage of Ohio State’s weaknesses — similar to Iowa. The similarities are clear: the Spartans offense ranks 101st in rushing S&P+, but third in the country in passing S&P+ behind Brian Lewerke.

Lewerke’s stats don’t jump off the page immediately: 2,207 passing yards, 6.5 yards per attempt, five interceptions. But his passing success rate is 44.9%, which is 26th in the country, and they’ve faced a number of solid defenses. In the past two games against Northwestern and Penn State, Lewerke has thrown for 845 yards and over 7 yards per attempt. He’s had over 53 attempts three times this year.

Part of the reason for going so pass-heavy has to do with the poor run game. Not only are they 101st in rushing S&P+ overall, but they allow run stuffs on over a quarter of runs, ranking fourth-to-last in the country in stuff rate. Ohio State’s defense ranks 7th in the country in forcing run stuff. So you’d expect the Spartans offense to be completely one dimensional — but that’s also what should have happened last week, as well. But Ohio State’s defense, and linebackers specifically, failed to fill gaps behind the defensive line’s slants, and seemed unsure who had pursuit and coverage responsibilities. Michigan State undoubtedly seeks to take advantage of Ohio State’s defense in a similar way. If the defense allows the Spartans to have a steady run game in addition to a likely-efficient passing day, then it’s likely to be another long afternoon for Greg Schiano’s defense.

Given how much the numbers favor Ohio State’s run defense and don’t favor its pass defense, any schematic or execution issues for the run defense will likely be devastating.

Spartans tight end Matt Sokol is the fourth-most targeted player in the passing game, but he still only has 16 catches and 166 total receiving yards this year, while LJ Scott has 15 catches for 91 yards. Michigan State will likely try to use motions and shifts to create advantageous matchups with tight ends and running backs on Ohio State’s linebackers, as the linebacker corps hasn’t shown much improvement in pass coverage responsibilities since getting exposed against Oklahoma.

Assuming that Ohio State’s run defense corrects the most glaring issues from a week ago and realizes their statistical advantage in run defense, then even a steadily efficient passing game should be slowed in the red zone, where the Spartans average just 3.94 points per scoring opportunity, which is 105th in the country. Field goals should be the name of the game. Expect to see a fair number of third-down conversions, as they rank 3rd in passing downs S&P+ despite being fifth-worst overall in passing downs line yards per carry (which means that nearly all of that late-down success is due Lewerke and not the running backs).

Takeaways

1. The Spartans defense excels against the run, ranking 6th in rushing S&P+. They don’t make a ton of tackles for loss, but they also limit big gains.
2. Their relative defensive weakness is against the pass, ranking 38th, and 48th in passing success rate. The Spartans defense is very similar to Ohio State’s in that it intends to stop the run first, can allow efficient passers, but still rarely allows big pass plays.
3. Brian Lewerke is up there with Baker Mayfield and Trace McSorley in terms of passing threats. But while Lewerke may not be as dynamic as Mayfield or as deep ball-ready as McSorley, he has shown the ability to be efficient, potentially like Richard Lagow and Nate Stanley were. Lewerke leads the third-best passing offense overall and on passing downs.
4. Ohio State should have a huge advantage stopping the Spartans ground game (5th vs. 101st in rushing S&P+), but they should have been able to stop Iowa too, who has similar problems as the Spartans (127th in stuff rate). If this advantage isn’t realized, then the Buckeyes have big problems.
5. There are a number of less-quantifiable factors that could affect the game. Mark Dantonio has taken statistically inferior teams toe-to-tow with Meyer’s, forcing games decided by three points or less in four of the last six years. We’re also not sure where Ohio State’s mindset is now that their playoff hopes are almost assuredly gone.

Picks

• S&P+: Ohio State 33, Michigan State 19. 78.2% win probability
• F/+: Ohio State by 7.9. 67.6% win probability
• Adj. S&P+: Ohio State by 30.3 (!). 96% win probability
• My pick: Ohio State 31, Michigan State 28

Season Record: 4-5 (3-3 B1G)
Head Coach: Mike Riley (19-16, 3rd year at Nebraska)
2017 S&P+ Overall Ranking: 78th
2016 S&P+ Overall Ranking: 46th

It’s been 20 years since Tom Osborne retired as head coach at Nebraska after a perfect 13-0 season, claiming the top ranking in the coaches’ poll. Since then, the Cornhuskers have had four different coaches at the helm, migrated from the Big 12 to the Big Ten, and notched one lonely conference championship. I can’t even remember the last time Nebraska was in the conversation for the national championship. And it doesn’t appear Mike Riley will be the head coach to help the Huskers rejoin that conversation, as his firing is a near certainty now that Nebraska has hired a new athletic director and the football program teeters on the edge of its second losing season in three years.

It’s hard to imagine a worse turn of events for Nebraska, especially when you consider that Riley’s predecessor, Bo Pelini, was fired after winning at least nine games in each of his seven seasons as head coach. The grass isn’t always greener, apparently.

Offense

Junior quarterback Tanner Lee has been a bit inconsistent in his first season as the starting signal caller. He is fourth in the Big Ten with 17 passing touchdowns and third in passing yards with 2,365, but Lee has also thrown the second most interceptions (13) in all of college football. During a three-game stretch early in the year, Lee actually threw nine interceptions and completed exactly 50 percent of his passes. He followed that up with a four-game stretch that saw him average 310.5 passing yards per game. Lee also completed 61 percent of his passes and threw for eight touchdowns and one interception over that same stretch.

Lee certainly has weapons in the passing game. Junior wide receiver Stanley Morgan, Jr. is almost certain to find the end zone on Saturday, having scored a touchdown in all but three games this season. He leads the Huskers with 43 receptions, 690 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. Redshirt freshman wide receiver J.D. Spielman, an Eden Prairie native, is a rising star. The versatile Spielman, who is also a playmaker on special teams, had a breakout game against Ohio State in which he hauled in 11 receptions for 200 yards and one touchdown. Senior wideout De’Morney Pierson-El rounds out the Huskers’ receiving corps with 35 receptions, 467 receiving yards, and four touchdowns.

The offensive line, which doesn’t have a single senior among the starting five, has kept Lee clean for the most part. The Huskers are tied for 31st in the country in sacks allowed, averaging 1.44 per game this season. But when Lee has struggled, it has been when the defense is able to apply pressure and force him into making bad decisions.

The Huskers’ rushing attack has been anemic to say the least, averaging 120.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks 107th nationally. Sophomore Tre Bryant was the starter to open the season, but hasn’t played since Week 2 against Oregon after suffering a knee injury. Junior running back Devin Ozigbo has shouldered the load in his absence, with mixed success (109 carries, 403 rushing yards, 1 touchdown). The fact that Ozigbo is the lone back to have passed Bryant’s two games of production is indicative of their struggles in the running game.

Verdict: I feel confident we won’t see a repeat of last week, when Michigan rushed for nearly 400 yards against the Gopher defense. The question will be whether the Minnesota secondary can hold up against the Huskers’ talented receiving corps. Having starting cornerbacks Antonio Shenault and Kiondre Thomas healthy and on the field will help, but the Gophers’ defensive backs will need to cut down on the mental mistakes that have been costly in recent weeks.

Defense

The Huskers’ defense, under new coordinator Bob Diaco, has not even remotely resembled the “Blackshirts” of the past. Nebraska ranks 81st in the country in rushing defense (176.9 rushing yards per game), 71st in passing defense (223.8 passing yards per game), and 92nd in scoring defense (30.1 points per game). Diaco has cited poor tackling and the switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4 as reasons for their struggles, explaining that his players need a full year of strength and conditioning, skill development and “intellectual conditioning” to get acclimated.

Senior middle linebacker Chris Weber is the leader on defense, with a team-leading 77 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception. Close behind is junior linebacker Dedrick Young with 64 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and one sack. The linebackers have obviously contributed to the Huskers’ poor run defense, but outside linebackers Luke Gifford and Alex Davis have also struggled when asked to cover tight ends and wide receivers.

The defensive line, anchored by redshirt sophomore defensive end Carlos Davis, seems to have struggled the most with the transition from 4-3 to 3-4, which has effectively altered their role and asked them to fill space and allow the linebackers to make plays. With how much opposing teams have run wild against this defensive front — Northwestern racked up 232 rushing yards last week — their shortcomings have been front and center.

Wisconsin, for example, tailored their running game to attack the edge of the Huskers’ defense, forcing the secondary to come up in run support and make tackles in open space. In particular, Nebraska’s inexperience at cornerback was exposed early in the season, which is why the Blackshirts felt some relief in the form of senior Chris Jones, who suffered a torn ACL in the spring but returned to action against Wisconsin and started the following week.

Junior safety Aaron Williams has been their most consistent defender in the secondary, with 41 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, and one pass break-up.

Verdict: In all but one of their five losses, the Huskers have allowed the opposing team to rack up at least 200 rushing yards. For once, the Gophers won’t have to depend on the arm of Demry Croft to beat a team, as long as they’re able to get the ground game going. Nebraska has fared better defensively against Big Ten teams with lackluster offenses — Rutgers, Illinois, and Purdue — so Minnesota will still need to take a step forward from the inept performances we’ve seen the last two weeks. But the opportunity will be there.

Prediction: Minnesota 24, Nebraska 21. This is very likely the Gophers’ last winnable game this season. I’m not going to predict a loss. I have zero confidence in Minnesota’s offense at the moment, but I’m hoping for a pleasant surprise on Saturday.

Tennessee and 19th ranked LSU will officially kickoff under the lights at Neyland Stadium on November 19th at 7 pm ET. The network has yet to be announced but the game will air on either ESPN or ESPN 2 the school announced via twitter on Monday.

The match up will mark the 32nd overall meeting between the Vols and the Tigers, with Tennessee holding a 20-9-3 advantage in a series that dates back to 1926. The last time the two teams played each other in the regular season was 2011, a 38-7 LSU win at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee will travel to Columbia, MO this week, seeking their first conference win of the season when they take on Missouri. LSU will play host to Arkansas in Baton Rouge on Saturday. The game will be the second night game at Neyland Stadium this season.
Notable Tennessee-LSU Games:

2007: In rematch of the 2001 SEC Championship Game, #14 Tennessee again met #7 LSU in Atlanta. Leading 14-13 in the fourth quarter, Erik Ainge threw an interception returned for a touchdown to put LSU ahead, 21-14. The Tigers went on to win the national championship.

2006: Tennessee led 24-21 late in the fourth quarter before LSU’s JaMarcus Russell hit Early Doucet in the endzone to give the Tigers a 28-24 lead with 9 seconds left. The loss knocked Tennessee out of contention for the SEC East.

2005: On Labor Day night, Tennessee overcame a 21-0 deficit to defeat LSU, 30-27 in overtime at Tiger Stadium.

2001: In their first game since the events of 9/11, Tennessee topped LSU, 26-18 at Neyland Stadium. The teams met again in the SEC title game later that season with LSU winning 31-20.

1989: In a shoot out on a hot Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge, 11th ranked Tennessee scored late to win 45-39 and avoid the upset.

His team had controlled most of the game, but with 11:52 to go, Washington State Cougars senior quarterback Luke Falk took the field with his offensive teammates needing a touchdown to beat the No. 21 Stanford Cardinal on Senior Day in Martin Stadium.

The odds of it happening on that drive were long—another fine Cardinal punt had pinned Falk’s Cougars on their own six-yard line, 94 yards from what was required to keep WSU’s Pac-12 title hopes alive.

Falk came into the game at the tail end of a wretched string that saw his grandfather pass away, followed by perhaps the lowest moment of his decorated WSU career: A benching at Arizona. It’s hard to know how grief will affect a person, but perhaps being just days removed from losing an important figure in his life wasn’t enough time to be fully into football.

On this day, however, Falk was looking more like his old self after a pair of second-quarter touchdown drives.

The newly christened all-time Pac-12 passing leader wouldn’t start this drive with his arm. Instead, against a Stanford front expecting a pass, he handed it to dynamic running back James Williams. The sophomore found a big hole, and danced his way to the 18-yard line. Suddenly the task felt a little less daunting for the Cougars out of the shadow of their own end zone.

“I know he’s with me out there,” Falk said of his grandfather. “I was joking at his funeral that he already had a seat in the stadium, ready for the game. I felt him with me the whole time.”

This situation looked remarkably similar to Stanford’s last trip to Pullman. In that game, WSU took the ball with 14:14 to play in the fourth quarter, down 27-22 after largely outplaying the Cardinal for much of the day. That drive ended in a touchdown, giving the Cougs the lead. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a lead that would last and Falk was forced to engineer another comeback, one that ultimately came short as a potential game-winning field goal from Erik Powell hooked wide right as time expired.

The stakes were similar that day too, as WSU also needed that game to keep up in the Pac-12 North.

3^rd-and–14

While the drive started with a bang, it nearly ended just as quickly. Following the Williams first down, Falk was brought to the turf for a four-yard loss. The quarterback found himself under pressure again on the next play, heaving the ball out of bounds to avoid another sack.

Suddenly, the Cougars needed 14 yards from their own 14, or they’d be punting back to Stanford for the third consecutive time. With 10:55 to go, that wouldn’t necessarily spell doom, but at some point, the Cougars needed to score.

For an Air Raid offense, 14 yards isn’t a death sentence. A team that throws the ball as much as WSU can find its way around many a third-and-long. However, in tough weather conditions amid a season where first downs hadn’t seemed to come as easily through the air, one might have felt a little less confident in the Cougars converting.

Falk took the snap needing a little extra time for his preferred route to develop downfield. He found it by sliding just a step to his left. That opened up a throwing lane, but it also put him in a difficult position to make a strong throw.

No matter: Falk slung it over the middle into the waiting arms of a sliding Tay Martin for 17 yards. Drive extended. Hope renewed.

“He might have a record,” said WSU head coach Mike Leach, when asked about Falk’s history of comebacks. “He’s been involved with probably more comeback drives than maybe anybody in the history of the Pac-12.”

Leach may be speaking in hyberbole—he’s been known to do that a time or two before—but Falk certainly has engineered a set of comebacks that will live forever in Cougar lore.

It began at Rutgers in 2015, when he took the Cougs down the field for a game-winning score with only seconds to play; then it happened again just weeks later at Oregon when Falk brought WSU back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit, tying the game on a TD pass at the end of regulation in a game that the Cougs would eventually win in overtime; then it happened again at UCLA when Falk connected with Gabe Marks for a 21-yard TD at the end of a 75-yard drive that spanned just 66 seconds to beat the Bruins.

While most of the Coug wins in 2016 were of a more comfortable nature, Falk and crew did need a 21-point comeback to beat Oregon State in Corvallis—which also required a fourth-quarter go-ahead TD.

There’s a pattern there: None of those legendary comebacks came at Martin Stadium. Sure, there had been game-winning drives, such as earlier this season against USC, but none when the Cougs were trailing in the fourth quarter at home (with the aforementioned Stanford game coming oh-so-close).

Who Needs Third Downs Anymore?

When an Air Raid drive hits its stride, it’s a beautiful thing to witness. After converting that 3^rd-and-14, the Cougars hit another gear. Williams cut back against the grain to pick up nine yards. A quick pass to Tavares Martin, Jr. netted another first down. Another screen out to Tay Martin picked up eight, Williams grabbed three more and WSU had set up shop in Stanford territory with new set of downs. The Cougs were rolling.

First down runs had netted big gains on this drive, but never forget: This is the Air Raid. With 8:10 to play at the Stanford 47, Falk and WSU smelled blood. (Or sap?)

Falk stood alone in the backfield while running back Jamal Morrow split out to the slot, creating a five-receiver set. Falk took the snap in rhythm, needing just a half step to gather himself before throwing a perfect strike to Morrow over the middle. The do-it-all senior split the Cardinal defense right up the gut, and he pushed the ball all the way down to the 26-yard line.

It was Morrow again on the next play, taking a Falk swing pass for 15 yards down the sideline. WSU was on the Stanford 11, having used five different players to pick up first downs on the drive.

“Everyone made huge plays at the right time,” said Falk. “I think it was just a real gutsy performance by everyone. I mean I could name off everyone down the line who made a big play in that game. So, it’s just everybody doing their job and that’s how football should be.”

Falk’s first touchdown pass at Martin Stadium is a nice piece of trivia, and while it came fittingly in the fourth quarter, the needle on the pressure gauge was just a little to the left. His first TD actually came against Portland State in 2014.

Falk checked in late in the fourth quarter of a blowout, and on his second pass found a wide-open Dom Williams for 84 yards and a score. That play still stands as the longest pass in Falk’s WSU career. The largest chunk of the Pac-12’s all-time passing leader’s yardage came on just his second throw.

There were 61 more touchdown passes for Falk in Martin Stadium between that seemingly meaningless score against Portland State during his freshman season and this highly meaningful drive against Stanford on his Senior Day.

One More Martin Stadium TD

Color commentators often like to go on and on about how the Air Raid should struggle when it gets close to the goal line. The windows become tighter as there is less ground for the defense to cover, and a team reliant on the passing game will struggle to get those last yards. Facing first down from the 11-yard line, the Cougs found a way to not just open up a window, but burst through the wall like the Kool-Aid man.

Falk dropped back and coyly surveyed the field—three of the four wide receivers in the formation had dashed toward the end zone, and much of Stanford’s defense followed, forgetting to cover that all-important fourth man. Jamire Calvin flashed in front of Falk, with nary a Cardinal defender within eight yards. Falk hit the freshman in stride on the left hash, and he coasted to a go-ahead and eventually game-winning WSU touchdown with 6:56 to play.

On his Senior Day, following his worst week at WSU both on the field and off, Falk’s 63rd and final Martin Stadium touchdown was his most meaningful, and added one more memorable drive to his long list of heroics at WSU. That’s enough to make even the typically stoic Falk let his guard down.

“I mean it’s the last time you get to play in Martin Stadium and the way that we won it against a great opponent in Stanford, you know a lot of emotions came together when it was all said and done,” said Falk. “I didn’t really think about them during the game.

“Once we were able to get the win, I allowed myself to think about some stuff like that and people that have helped me along my path. Coach Mastro and Coach Mele, people like that and all my teammates and the seniors. You know it got pretty emotional, heck I might get emotional right now. It’s just been a great ride, we gotta finish it right.”

After a convincing, dominating win against the then ranked #13/13 Virginia Tech Hokies, Miami Slotted in at #7/6 in this week’s polls. Many in our fanbase feel disrespected by the polls, Miami sits behind three one-loss teams in the AP Poll, and two one-loss teams in the Coaches Poll. Let’s look at Miami compared to each of them:

But first, a look at Miami’s own résumé:

Miami has had a turbulent season, but has handled all the challenges to improve to an 8-0 record, and Top 10 ranking.

In the eyes of many in the 305 the Top 10 is still too low for the Canes’, Miami is behind one-loss teams, and has been for weeks. The Canes’ have more FPI Top 50 wins than anyone not named Clemson, and UM also boasts the #2 SOR in the nation.

In addition, Miami ranks in the Top 15 in several defensive categories; #12 in Scoring Defense, #4 in Turnover Margin, #1 in Tackles For Loss per game, #5 in Sacks per game, #13 in Passing Yards per Completion, and #7 in Interceptions.

However, the Canes had struggled to pass the “eye test” until Saturday night, as for four consecutive weeks Miami had won by 8 points or less, including a near disaster against 1-8 UNC.

28-10 at The Rock was a statement, but it appears that Miami will have to make another one this weekend, despite their record.

The Fighting Irish are deservedly above the Hurricanes heading into this week’s primetime matchup, UND’s only loss is to #2 (#1 in the Playoff Poll) Georgia, and the Irish have convincing blowout wins over #15/14 USC, #13/16 Michigan State, and NR/#24 NC State. In addition the Irish have dispensed every other opponent they’ve faced with ease, with the exception of a slight stumble against Wake Forest.

Notre Dame has earned the right to be a Top 5 team, but they face a determined, angry, Miami team and fanbase this weekend. Miami is deservedly behind the Irish for now, but they can settle it on the field at 8pm this Saturday.

In my eyes, Miami has an argument to be ahead of Clemson. While Clemson boasts more FPI Top 50 wins than anyone else, they also posses a loss to Syracuse, a team Miami has since beaten.

Clemson also shared an opponent with Miami, Virginia Tech, whom they beat 31-17, Miami since beat the same opponent, 28-10, a larger margin of victory.

Miami also has a higher SOR than Clemson, and nearly the same amount of Top 50 wins (as previously stated), in my honest opinion Miami should be nearly even with Clemson in the eyes of poll voters.

Once again Miami will probably get a shot at this opponent later in the season. Clemson, barring a disaster against FSU, would be the ACC Atlantic Representative in the ACC Championship Game. Miami, needing only a win in Coastal play, or a UVA loss in coastal play, would be the Coastal Division representative in the ACC Championship Game. So it is likely that Miami will have a chance to line up against yet another team ahead of them in the polls.

Oklahoma is the hardest team to get a handle on here. Miami shares no opponents with Oklahoma, the two will almost certainly not play each other.

Oklahoma is also a bizarre team, Heisman frontrunner Baker Mayfield leads possibly the nation’s best offense, but is backed up by one of the worst, if not the worst Power 5 defense in the NCAA.

However, like Miami, the Sooners find ways to pull out wins, and posses one of the best out of conference wins of the season, a victory against Ohio State in Columbus.

As a result Oklahoma has remained ahead of the Canes throughout the last couple weeks, and the Sooners have a big opportunity to add another trademark win to their season this weekend, as they take on #8/9 TCU.

While Miami stayed behind Oklahoma in the AP Poll, they remain ahead of them in the Coaches Poll, and look for Miami to possibly pass Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff Poll tomorrow.

So what do you all think, is Miami too highly ranked, ranked too low? Are the Canes right where they should be? Tell us in the poll and comments below.

“Iowa, on both sides of the ball, knew exactly who the Buckeyes were and how to stop them. The Buckeyes had no idea who there (sic) were. So let’s get to it. Has Mayer (sic) lost his edge?”

–Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com

As blasphemous as it might seem when looking at the totality of Meyer’s time in Columbus, this blazing hot take has been scorching up the interwebs since Ohio State’s historic, embarrassing 55-24 drubbing by the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday.

However, before you chug your Skip Bayless Haterade™, remember that Meyer is less than three seasons removed from winning a national title, and that his overall record as the Buckeye head man is still 68-8 (.895%).

There is no doubt that things are a little rocky right now for the Buckeyes, and that the team hasn’t consistently looked the same since the dream 2014 season, but to say that Meyer is degrading as a coach because he is now “a 53-year-old grandfather,” and that he is moving to the hands-off, CEO model of coaching is antithetical to what is actually going on, and to the thesis of Lesmerises’ article as a whole.

In his piece, Lesmerises says that Meyer is a “culture coach,” and that he mostly leaves the Xs and Os to his assistants. But, that isn’t something that is new, Meyer has always been the big picture guy who was great at getting the most out of his players. Therefore, how does that lead to the softening of his “edge”?

If the problem is with the coaches who are directly working with the players, perhaps you could say that Meyer missed on some coaching hires, but again, given the individual coaches’ resumes, that seems like a stretch (although, Lesmerises did expand on this idea in another article, specifically pointing a finger at former NFL defensive coordinator and OSU’s new linebacker coach Bill Davis).

Could it be that it has taken longer for the program’s new coaches and players to gel than was originally anticipated? Absolutely. But, to say that this is somehow indicative of Meyer losing his edge, even temporarily, is extremely short-sighted and solely of the moment.

In fact, in addition to the admitted truth that the coaching staff still has not found its footing as a cohesive unit, I would argue that Meyer’s “edge” might actually be the thing that is leading to the recent rash of disappointing results for the Buckeyes.

As Lesmerises says, Meyer can just about get any recruit that he wants to come to Columbus, meaning that it is incumbent upon him to go and get the best players for his team, whether they be from Pickerington, Miami, Dallas, or San Diego. The down side to getting the best talent from around the country is that they don’t have the inherent buy-in to the distinct, Ohio State culture and tradition that most of the team’s fans do. Eventually that can have an impact, especially on a team that is lacking in experience.

And that is where the other side of Meyer’s dangerous success comes into play. The Buckeyes have had 19 players drafted into the NFL in the last two seasons alone, not to mention a handful of other players signed as undrafted free agents, many of them leaving before exhausting their collegiate eligibility. At some point, competing with an inexperienced, albeit talented, roster is going to lead to some roadbumps, but I think most people would prefer those roadbumps to the ones suffered by teams who are excited to have one or two players drafted every year.

The point is that the Ohio State football team is nowhere near functioning at its max potential right now, and laying that at the feet of the head coach is perfectly acceptable, given that the buck stops at the top. But, to question if Urban Meyer, a man who has won nearly 90% of his games in Columbus, has all of a sudden lost his ability to coach, or even manage, his team is ludicrous, even in this age of click-bait sports commentary.

“Momentum is building in Ohio for a college basketball event similar to Indiana’s Crossroads Classic.”

–David Jablonski, Dayton Daily News

For years under Thad Matta, and long before, it was the stance of the Ohio State men’s basketball team to avoid scheduling games against other in-state, DI programs. As the state’s flagship school, and the only one in a major college conference, that was certainly in OSU’s prerogative.

The thought was that no matter the result of the game, there was no upside for the Buckeyes. If they beat Dayton, or Xavier, or Cincinnati, then it was expected for the big dog to dominate. However, if say Dayton was to beat OSU 60-59, like in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, it would be seen as a black eye for the Buckeyes, letting one of their “little brothers” beat them up.

However, it appears that those concerns are now all but being ignored as new Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has openly discussed the idea of putting together an Ohio version of the Crossroads Classic held in Indiana every year. Remember that Holtmann comes to Columbus from Indiana’s fourth(?) biggest basketball program in Butler.

According to Jablonski’s article, discussions have already begun. Ohio State previously announced that they will open up each of the next two seasons with a home-and-home against the Bearcats. While it likely won’t happen any time in the next few seasons, these are promising developments in a state whose basketball prowess shouldn’t have to take a backseat to anyone.

“The upsets in the Big Ten East were the biggest playoff plotlines from Week 10, as the stock of the entire conference dropped as a result.”

–Heather Dinich, ESPN.com

I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know, but things ain’t looking good for the Big Ten to get a team into the College Football Playoff. With both Ohio State and Penn State losing their second games of the season this past weekend, unless all holy-hell breaks loose, they aren’t getting in. Meaning that the B1G’s best option might be the still undefeated Wisconsin Badgers, who, as of the first playoff rankings, were sitting at ninth.

Now, certainly, they will move up a spot or two with their conference brethren taking a tumble, but there is also the potential for an undefeated No. 10 Miami to jump the Badgers after a decisive win against No. 13 Virginia Tech.

So, even if Wisconsin moves up to No. 8 this week, they still would have two SEC teams, two Big XII teams, two ACC teams (assuming Miami move up), and independent Notre Dame ahead of them. Because there is a likelihood that the conference foes will eventually meet up, if they do, only one is likely to drop out of contention with a loss, leaving at least three teams and the Irish ahead of Wisconsin, who still has no guarantee to remain undefeated.

So, if you are banking on the B1G continuing its streak of playoff participants, you might want to start rooting for 2007 levels of chaos.

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