Ten Takeaways: Week Five
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Ten Takeaways: Week Five
For my Ohio State subscribers: Check out my full thoughts on Ohio State's 31-14 win at Iowa in Bulletpoints:
Colton Denning
1. Missouri and Alabama pull out the belt on SEC foes
Missouri-Florida
Eli Drinkwitz can publicly downplay what it means for he and his team to finally beat a highly-ranked SEC opponent all he wants. Missouri's 45-17 romp over Florida will have lasting impacts not only on how people view the Tigers, but how the playoff committee evaluates them and the SEC as a whole two months from now. There's something about this result that makes me think it's going to be a major talking point in the final rankings lead up.
After crumbling against Mississippi State a week ago, Mizzou didn't leave anything to chance this time thanks to big plays and strong defense. 376 of the Tigers' 560 yards came on ten plays, which included touchdowns of 80, 47, and 31 - plus another 77-yard run. RB Jamal Roberts was the main damage dealer, ripping the Gators for 211 yards and 3 TD on 24 carries. It's worth mentioning that QB Austin Simmons (23-30, 340 yards, 2 TD) lit it up, too. Meanwhile, the defense completely shut down Florida's dominant run game, holding them to just 68 non-sack yards.
For Missouri, it's a necessary performance if they wanted to be taken seriously as the playoff discussion heats up. For Florida, it's a nice reminder that they're a talented team, albeit one with very exploitable weaknesses.
Alabama-Mississippi State
Welcome to the Keelon Russell show. Alabama's 56-23 win in Starkville was a star-making performance for the young QB, and a clear sign that the ceiling for the Tide this season is much higher than it's been the past two years thanks to him. Russell was money on third downs, converting six of seven attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns. This third-and-19 conversion to Lotzeir Brooks was one of the best throws of the weekend:
Outside of Russell, what stood out to me most about Alabama was just how swarming their defense is. It felt like they had three/four players flying to the ball on every snap, and they really punished every Mississippi State ballcarrier when they had the chance. Dijon Lee's first-quarter pick-six now gives them four defensive TD through their first five games! Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack acts like a psycho on the sidelines, and his defense plays like a group of them out on the field.
This felt like a "lights are too bright" moment for Mississippi State and Kamario Taylor. A number of his early throws were aggressively high. The pick-six I just referenced was a tough decision early in the game. Every time it looked like they were going to come back, they made a mistake and then Alabama made them pay. The sequence that defines this game to me came on the Tide's opening drive of the third quarter. With third-and-goal from the 18 and a 28-17 deficit, Mississippi State DL Gus Cordova needlessly lined up offside on a play where Russell was sacked. Instead of a 45-yard field goal attempt, Bama's offense got another shot, and Russell made them pay:
For the first time in the Kalen DeBoer era, the Tide look like true title contenders.
2. Jeremiah Smith is going 2010 Cam Newton Mode
That may sound a little ridiculous - but through five games, Smith is the kind of high-level, one-man show we haven't seen since Newton at Auburn. Through five games, he has 44 catches for 823 yards and nine TD. Devin McCuin –the next closest Ohio State receiver– has 17-245-2. Smith is on pace for 105 catches, 1,975 yards, and 21 touchdowns in 12 games. That ups to 114-2,139-23 if the Buckeyes get to the Big Ten Title. His latest masterpiece was this 11-206-2 performance in Ohio State's 31-14 win at Iowa:
The Hawkeyes stingy defense had no answers for him, and Kirk Ferentz mentioned wanting to never coach against him again. As important as it is to spread the wealth offensively, it's clear that Ohio State's best chance at winning it all this season is by feeding Smith as much as possible, then count on secondary playmakers to deliver when their numbers are called. He obviously can't control the game on every snap the way Newton did at quarterback, but the impact is similar. We're watching one of the greatest offensive players in college football history.
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3. An old fashioned Big 12 shootout
Iowa State-West Virginia was my favorite game of the week. The two combined for 87 points, 1,095 yards, and had three separate players rush for 140+ yards as the Cyclones held on for a 45-42 win. I have no idea what the ceiling on either of these teams is. Both are a fun watch, though:
4. Player of the Week: Aiden Flora - Iowa State
One of the 140+ yard rushers in that game was Cyclones RB Aiden Flora. Flora took his do-everything skillset to the next level against the Mountaineers, running for 212 yards and three TD, while also completing two passes for 48 yards and two scores:
