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Oregon moved up to No. 2 in the new Associated Press Top 25 poll thanks to its dramatic 32-31 win over Ohio State on Saturday night.
The Ducks were unable to overtake Texas for the top spot after the Longhorns were dominant in a 34-3 victory over Oklahoma in the newest installment of the Red River Rivalry. By suffering its first loss, OSU slipped to No. 4 in the rankings.
All eyes in prime time were on Eugene, Oregon, and the battle between Top Five teams didn’t disappoint. The lead never got higher than eight points and the game went down to the final seconds.
Atticus Sappington’s 19-yard field goal put Oregon up by a point with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter, which was more than enough for the high-powered Ohio State offense to at least get into position for a go-ahead field goal.
Self-inflicted wounds doomed the Buckeyes’ comeback bid, though.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was flagged for offensive pass interference, which moved OSU from the Oregon 28-yard line to the 43. Ohio State’s players didn’t seem to know the clock would start running after the officials resumed play, either, which allowed valuable time to drain. Losing those seconds proved costly because quarterback Will Howard was unable to slide down on a 12-yard scramble before the clock expired.
“It sucks,” Howard said to sum up the end, per the Columbus Dispatch‘s Joey Kaufman. “You don’t want to lose a game like that. I don’t know what we could’ve done better. I could’ve gotten down earlier and given us a chance with a longer kick. We have to go back and look at it and not have that happen again.”
There was no such drama as Texas and Oklahoma headed to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. A 21-point second quarter from the Longhorns saw to that.
The Sooners were up 3-0 after the opening frame. Some fans were even wondering whether Arch Manning might see the field after Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers threw an interception on the opening drive and generally had a sluggish start.
But a seven-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to tight end Gunnar Helm capped off a 10-play 75-yard drive for the Longhorns’ first points, and they didn’t look back from there.
Ewers went 20-of-29 for 199 yards, one touchdown and an interception, while running back Quintrevion Wisner went for 118 yards and a score on the ground. The Texas defense also held OU to just 239 yards.
Sooners head coach Brent Venables appears to be out of answers swapping Jackson Arnold for Michael Hawkins Jr. has done little to change things.
Offense wasn’t the issue for Ole Miss as the Rebels failed to deal a knockout blow to LSU on the road. Lane Kiffin’s squad found a way to lose despite never once trailing in regulation.
Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier wasn’t a model of efficiency, finishing 22-of-51 for 337 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. His last two completions are all anybody will remember, though.
On 4th-and-5 with 27 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, he hit receiver Aaron Anderson for a 23-yard touchdown pass. His next throw went to Kyren Lacy as the senior wideout found the end zone in overtime for the win.
Elsewhere around the country, Penn State, Alabama and Tennessee all staved off upset bids, with the Nittany Lions and Volunteers needing overtime.
In the case of the Crimson Tide, a slim 27-25 win over South Carolina was probably as bad as a loss in the eyes of some fans who have come to expect such a high standard after the Nick Saban era.
The Gamecocks led by five points heading into the fourth quarter before Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe contributed to a pair of touchdowns to put the Tide ahead.
Kalen DeBoer was spared a second straight upset to an unranked team after South Carolina scored inside the final minute but failed to convert its two-point attempt.
DeBoer knew the challenge he was inheriting by succeeding Saban. He may have expected his honeymoon phase to last a little longer than this, though.
Squidward_Tha_Goat @SquidwardsWrld
Kalen DeBoer after losing to Vandy last weekend and struggling to beat a 3-3 team by 2 points today
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Nick Saban up by 28 points in the National Championship pic.twitter.com/sHBISi9Ro0
Tennessee lies ahead for Alabama in Week 8, the first of three games for the Crimson Tide against Top 25 foes.
Considering how much the Vols offense has fallen back to earth after starting SEC play, this could be a prime opportunity for DeBoer to reassure the fanbase with another signature victory.
That’s one of two colossal matchups in the SEC as Georgia hits the road to play Texas in Austin. This is pretty close a must-win situation for the Bulldogs within a College Football Playoff because they might struggle to maintain a position within the top 12 the rest of the way as a two-loss team.
