Exceeded By Leaps And Bounds
It’s rare for ANYTHING to live up to the hype, but CFB’s week five schedule of games was hyped as one of the best weekends in a long time. Consequently, last week’s slate of games didn’t just live up to the hype, it EXCEEDED it by leaps and bounds. Let’s look back at a wonderful weekend and look ahead to week six in the CFB season.
Week 5 Players of the Week
Kinder’s Texas Bowl Player of the Week - Tennessee LB Arion Carter - The Volunteer star linebacker was incredibly active in a 41-34 overtime win in Starkville against pesky Mississippi State. 17 tackles. One PBU on the final Mississippi State offensive play of the game. One dominating performance for the Volunteer leader in the middle.
National Player of the Week - Ohio State DE Caden Curry - There were a handful of analysts that thought that Ohio State was due to struggle on the road at Washington. However, the Buckeyes just took care of business, holding the homesteading Huskies to just six points. Why? Curry. He led the team with 11 tackles. He led the Buckeyes with nine solo tackles. He led the team with three sacks. He also racked up five TFL, to again, say it with me…lead the Buckeyes. His arrow is pointing way, WAY up after the start to the season he’s had.
Week 5 Teams of the Week
Kinder’s Texas Bowl Team of the Week - Alabama - After a week one beatdown at the hands of the Florida State Seminoles, EVERYONE wrote off head coach Kalen DeBoer and the Tide. Alabama fans dreamt of winning the lottery to buy out DeBoer after one game in his second season. Wonder how they’re feeling now? The Tide went on the road to Athens and took over Georgia’s trap. Alabama QB Ty Simpson led the Tide to a 24-21 win, one that’ll get Alabama right back into the playoff conversation.
National Team of the Week - Oregon - With a 17-3 lead in the fourth quarter, it appeared that the Ducks had delivered another top ten team defeat to Penn State in front of a White Out home crowd. The Nittany Lions did come back from behind to tie the game and send it to a second overtime. But, Oregon S Dillon Thieneman picked off Penn State QB Drew Allar after Dante Moore/Gary Bryant Jr’s heroics in the second OT to take home a brilliant 30-24 overtime victory. This was supposed to be Penn State’s night - James Franklin wins a big game and Drew Allar makes an NFL statement. But, Dan Lanning’s Oregon squad prevented that from happening…yet again.
Honorable Mention - Virginia - What a win over Florida State, just like 30 years ago!
Week 5 Kudos
…to Virginia head coach Tony Elliott and QB Chandler Morris for an emphatic two OT win over #8 Florida State in C’Ville. Those two cemented their legacies at Virginia after one of the greatest wins in UVa history on The Grounds.
…to Arizona State star WR Jordyn Tyson and his eight reception/129 yard/two touchdown performance against previously undefeated TCU. The 27-24 win keeps Arizona State undefeated in the Big 12.
…to Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars for waking up just in time to come from behind to beat winless Oregon State in overtime. The win set up a gargantuan Big 12 contest with undefeated Texas Tech, the biggest game at TDECU Stadium in, well, ever.
…to Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, who accounted for 385 yards ot total offense and a touchdown in an impressive win over #4 LSU.
…to Alabama QB Ty Simpson for a gutty performance on the road at Georgia - 24 of 38 for 276 yards and two TDs. He also scored a TD on the ground in Alabama’s 24-21 win at Georgia.
…to Vanderbilt, head coach Clark Lea and QB Diego Pavia for staying hot and setting up a massive rematch against Alabama this week in Tuscaloosa.
…to Oregon QB Dante Moore…man, what a freakin’ performance on the road!
…to Illinois QB Luke Altmyer for responding after a difficult defeat at Indiana to beat USC in Champaign 34-32. He threw for 328 yards on 20 of 26 passing. He was the first B1G player in 14 years to rush, receive and throw for a TD in the same game.
…to Duke RB Nate Sheppard, starting for the first time at Syracuse. All he did was run for 168 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a whopping 11.2 yards per carry. Holy cow!
…to Louisville’s ball boy Zephian Wade for chasing after Pitt defenders after a pick six, fighting to get Louisville’s ball back on the Pitt sideline. The Cardinals must have taken inspiration from Wade as they came back from behind to win on the road against Pitt in Acrisure Stadium.
…to Texas A&M’s defense for LOOKING like the great Wrecking Crew units of the late 1980s/early 1990s in a win over Auburn.
…to Georgia Tech for a gritty win at Wake Forest to stay 5-0 and maintain top 15 status in the country. Long live the toughness of QB Haynes King!!
…to Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, my new favorite player perhaps ever (go watch ESPN’s College GameDay segment on him and his family). Love and the Irish dominated Arkansas in Fayetteville 56-13.
…to North Texas for a 5-0 start to the 2025 season!
…to Cal and QB Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele for a wonderful 28-24 win on Chestnut Hill against Boston College. J-KS hit TE Mason Mini on a 51-yard catch-and-run to take a late lead, but it took LB Luke Ferrelli’s interception in the end zone to finally put BC away with under just ten seconds in the game.
…to Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby who threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 52 yards on 13 carries (440 yards total offense) in a scintillating 37-34 win over Kansas.
…to Kansas QB Jalon Daniels, in a losing effort. All he did was account for 500 yards total offense and threw for four TDs…in a loss to Cincinnati. His WR Emmanuel Henderson Jr. deserves mention as he had five catches for 214 yards (just under 43 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.
Week 6 Preview
#16 (5-0) Vanderbilt at #10 (3-1) Alabama
After two gut punches losses left Vanderbilt at 2-2 during the 2024 season, the Dores upset #1 Alabama 40-35 with a performance no one saw coming. Since starting 2-2 last season, the Dores are 10-4 and are undefeated and ROLLING in 2025. But, Alabama’s win over Georgia set up a revenge matchup that the Tide won’t take lightly. However, to stop Vanderbilt, it means that a defense has to slow down QB Diego Pavia and the underrated, UNDERRATED Vandy perimeter speedy playmakers. That said, I’d be shocked if Alabama looks past the best offense it has faced all season long. This should be fun.
#11 (4-0) Texas Tech at (4-0) Houston
I was really worried late in last week’s Friday night matchup against Oregon State that Houston would get tripped up before this massive matchup. But, the Cougars got things straight to stay undefeated for this matchup. As I said above, this is probably the most important game for Houston IN HOUSTON in quite some time. Tech will go back to injured QB Behren Morton, but Will Hammond will be ready. I have a feeling TDECU will be rocking, but the Red Raiders just came from beating Utah in what is one of the toughest places to win on the road. They won’t be intimidated in the slightest; likewise, I don’t expect Willie Fritz’s Cougars to back off one ounce.
#3 (4-0) Miami, FL at #18 (3-1) Florida State
Last week’s Virginia-Florida State contest was one of the five to ten best games in the early part of the 2025 season. Unfortunately, for the sake of this matchup, the Seminoles took an L in preparation for the arrival of the Canes. Mario Cristobal’s Canes are HOT and it’s going to take a gargantuan effort from the Seminoles to keep Carson Beck and company out of the end zone. I’m just glad that this rivalry is BACK - CFB is just better when these two rivals are playing great football.
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