If the last two weeks were a marathon for fans, week 9 was the water table. The status quo was upheld, upset bids were survived and highly ranked teams took care of business to set up future big games.
Buckeyes’ close win reveals concerns
In their first game since leaving Autzen Stadium with a loss, the Buckeyes didn’t lay an all-world beatdown on the unranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. OSU was not upset, but coach Ryan Day and the offense don’t have much to be happy about moving forward.
For starters, OSU quarterback Will Howard has still left claims that he is not fit to be a big-time quarterback unanswered.
When we last saw Howard before Saturday’s game, he was stumbling over himself in a late-game scenario, and it was more of the same against the Cornhuskers, as Howard was only able to put up 221 yards through the air, along with an interception, in a 21-17 victory where he was not the difference.
What was clicking for the Buckeyes was their much maligned defense that has been labeled as soft in the past. In a tough 21-17 OSU victory, the Bucks defense held Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola to only 152 passing yards and one pick, while also getting sacked three times in Ohio State’s last game before a trip to Happy Valley.
Oregon holds strong against ranked opponent
What can you say about the 2024 Oregon Ducks that hasn’t been said already?
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been absolutely on fire, the defense has playmakers on the line and in the secondary. And most importantly, they just win ball games.
The Ducks welcomed 20th-ranked Illinois into Eugene, Ore. Saturday, and it’s an understatement to say they were not polite to their guests. The Ducks dominated from the coin toss to the kneel-down in a game where Oregon scored 35 points before the Illini scored their first touchdown.
Senior receiver Tez Johnson continued his season-long dominance against Illinois torching defensive backs to the tune of 102 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Ducks 38-9 blowout win.
Look out for Johnson come award season.
SMU survives in clash of ACC teams
Although they may not get the same coverage as Texas or Notre Dame, the SMU Mustangs hold the same 7-1 record as the Longhorns and Irish.
The Atlantic Coast Conference has been dominated by Miami this season, but someone has to challenge them for the conference championship, and why not SMU?
The Mustangs traveled to Durham, NC to take on the Duke Blue Devils, who have also seen moderate success this season, carrying a 6-1 record into Sunday’s contest. The winner of this game would set them up for championship week against presumptive favorite Miami.
In a well-fought matchup that needed overtime to decide the winner, the Mustangs won on a failed two-point conversion by the Blue Devils. Senior running back and Miami transfer Brashard Smith was the star of the day for the Mustangs, galloping for 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 28-27 SMU win.
Texas evades consecutive losses against Vanderbilt
The Texas Longhorns started off hot this season but showed signs of slowing down in its loss against Georgia and even in a close win against Oklahoma. Quarterback Quinn Ewers had not been performing at standard level since returning from an oblique injury and looked to workshop against newly ranked Vanderbilt.
Although the Longhorns scraped by with a 27-24 win, Ewers’ struggles continued to show. Vanderbilt’s defense that has roughed up prominent QB’s, such as Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, gave Ewers a similar treatment Saturday, picking off the Texas signal caller twice.
The Longhorns were able to pull away with their seventh win of the season, carried by a strong running game that saw a combined 141 rushing yards and a defense that forced three turnovers.
The Longhorns’ next three matches are against unranked opponents before a date with the 10th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The winner of that in-state showdown would control its own destiny depending on the team’s record.
Deep cuts and what’s next
In a year where the traditional blue bloods of college football have suffered at least one loss (unless you’re Oregon), the historical underdogs of the FBS have remained undefeated past week nine.
BYU, Iowa State and Indiana are still undefeated heading into November.
Another week, another Big Ten matchup with playoff implications. Fourth-ranked Ohio State and third-ranked Penn State will come to blows in a whiteout Happy Valley, where the Buckeyes haven’t lost since 2016.
Week 9 might not have had the same dramatic effect that previous weeks have held this season, but still delivered an entertaining set of games. Week 9 provided the breather fans will need heading into crunch time.
Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.
