NCAA Football News and Notes: Power 5 Recap

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Welcome back to our look at the best games in NCAA Football for Week 5. Every week we recap the best games from the Power 5 conferences.

#1Georgia vs Missouri

In a game everyone thought was going to be a blowout, we had a different result, and it was one of the best games of the week. Georgia came into Mizzo as the number 1 team in the nation. Missouri, on the other hand, was coming into the game 2-2 after a tough loss in overtime the week before against Auburn.

In the first quarter, both teams got off to a very rough start. Both teams were consecutively punting and even Georgia had a turnover in there. Eventually, it was Missouri that got the first points surprisingly, scoring a field goal off the leg of Harrison Mevis for 41 yards. Going into the second, Missouri was driving and eventually scored. Brady Cook completed a 10-yard pass to Tyler Stephens for them to go up 10-0 on the #1 ranked team in the nation. On the next drive, Georgia fumbled again and Missouri capitalized. Mevis again hit a 49-yard field goal to go up 13-0. Finally, on the next drive, Georgia scored a field goal but Missouri answered them right away. Fortunately for Georgia, they had some time before the end of the half and got a field goal as the time expired, going into the second half it was 16-6 Missouri.

Going into the second half, Missouri got the ball first and could go up three possessions and have all the momentum at home. Having this opportunity though, they didn’t pounce on it, punting the ball to Georgia and then turning it into a field goal. For the next three drives, both teams had field goals which made the game 22-12 for Missouri in the fourth quarter. Everyone knew there was no way Georgia would go down like this and they didn’t. Georgia answered with a touchdown from Kendall Milton from one yard out. Then, they forced a punt from Missouri and scored another touchdown from Daijun Edwards. All of a sudden, Georgia was up 26-22 and it wasn’t looking pretty for Missouri. On their last possession to take the lead and complete the comeback, they had to punt and they never saw the ball again, ending the game 26-22 for Georgia.

Georgia’s Stetson Bennett had an ok game to get the win. He threw for 312 yards on 24 completions out of 43 attempts. Although asides from that, he did not have a touchdown in the game and had a fumble. On the running backs side, Kenny Mcintosh, Kendall Milton, and Daijun Edwards did the heaving lifting. They combined for two touchdowns and 177 yards with all having a solid game. For the receivers, a lot of players got involved having four players over 40 yards. Georgia’s stingy defense played outstanding as usual, holding Brady Cook to 192 yards and just one touchdown. Missouri had a solid game out of Cody Schrader who had 89 rushing yards with only six carries. For the receivers, Dominic Lovett led the way with six receptions and 84 yards, but the real MVP from Missouri was their kicker. The offense was not good all game but Harrison Mevis kicked 5/5 on field goals with his longest kick coming in at 56 yards.

Missouri showed a lot of improvement this game from almost completing one of the biggest upsets in SEC history only losing by four points at home. They have Florida this week and we will see if this game was a myth or if they actually will be able to compete in the SEC this season. For Georgia, they had a very bad week and they will look to rebound against an Auburn team that is 3-2. Georgia dropped to #2 behind Alabama this week in the rankings.

#15 Washington vs UCLA

One of the best games of the week took place in UCLA as both teams entered the game undefeated at 4-0. Washington is starting out hot this year as the 15th-ranked team in the nation and surprising a lot of people. On the other side of the ball, UCLA has been taking care of business all season and this would be their first big test of the season after starting 4-0.

Washington started with the ball and Michael Pennix did what he has been doing all season, throwing touchdowns. He threw a 33-yard touchdown to Rome Odunze for the score to make it a quick 7-0 Washington lead. UCLA eventually responded by forcing a safety then proceeded to score a touchdown to make it a 9-7 game near the end of the first. Washington then responded with a field goal but UCLA drove down the field to score a touchdown from Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Jake Bobo for 12 yards. Pennix, trying to respond, threw a pick, and UCLA capitalized by scoring a touchdown one play in after the interception. At the end of the half, UCLA was leading 26-10 with Pennix having two interceptions.

Entering the second half, we had four straight touchdowns, two a piece from the quarterbacks who were having a shootout in the second half. The score in the fourth was all UCLA 40-24 answering Washington every time they scored. Finally, a punt happened to come in the middle of the fourth quarter from UCLA. Pennix then went down the field and scored another touchdown to Rome Odunze making it a 40-32 game. Washington needed a three and out to get the ball back and try to make this game go into overtime. UCLA had other plans getting multiple first downs and ending the game with the ball. Washington was so close to the comeback but lost 40-32 in a very thrilling game from both of the quarterbacks.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a superior game throwing the ball for 315 yards and three touchdowns on only nine incompletions. He also accounted for 53 yards and a touchdown on the rushing end. UCLA’s main back Zach Charbonnet led the way with 124 yards and a touchdown. The main player for the receivers was Jake Bobo who had six receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. For the Washington side, Michael Pennix had another outstanding game throwing for 345 yards and four touchdowns but he did throw two interceptions that may have lost them the game. The receiver that made a lot of the plays was wide-out Rome Odunze, who had 116 yards on eight receptions with two touchdowns.

Washington showed grit trying to complete a comeback but fell just short in the fourth. They moved down to 21st in the nation and play Arizona State on the road this week which should be an easy win for them. On the other hand, UCLA played fantastically, especially from their notable QB, Dorian Thompson-Robinson. UCLA is now ranked 18th for the first time this season and plays a tough matchup at home against the 11th-ranked team, the Utah Utes.

#10 NC State vs #5 Clemson

One of the most anticipated games of the week didn’t disappoint with both of these top-tier defenses showing out. NC State came into this game as the 10th ranked team in the nation after an easy win against UConn. For Clemson, they were coming into this game as the 5th ranked team after a very tough and tiring win against Wake Forest last week.

In the first half, both teams had extremely long drives resulting in field goals making it a low-scoring quarter, 3-3. Finally, in the second quarter, after Clemson led 6-3, NC State scored a touchdown from Devin Leary to Ced Seabrough on a two-yard pass. This brought State up four closing in on the half but Clemson didn’t go down that quickly in the half. DJ Uiagalelei rushed down the field in a minute 20 and scored a one-yard touchdown to take the lead back at the end of the half making it a 10-6 game.

Going into the second half, State went three and out and punted to Clemson. Clemson then tried to capitalize and make it a two-possession game, which they did from the arm of Uiagalelei to Jake Briningstool for seven yards. NC State answered but it was only from a field goal but they made it a one-score game again. Later in the quarter, Leary was picked off which then led to a Clemson 10-point lead into the fourth quarter and everything was looking down for NC State. They eventually fumbled a critical possession which then led Clemson to go up 30-13 on a touchdown. Leary marched down the field quickly for a rushing touchdown but it was a little too late. Clemson ended the game with the ball winning 30-20 in this high-ranked game during primetime.

Uiagalelei played a good game to get the win but it wasn’t his best game on the throwing end. He only threw for 209 yards and one touchdown but only had nine incompletions. His legs were the best part for him and Clemson as he was the team leader in rushing with 73 yards and two rushing touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the nation. Clemson’s defense was the MVP of the game forcing two turnovers and getting three sacks. They also held Devin Leary to 245 yards and19 incompletions. He also threw an interception and only one touchdown. NC’s running game was completely lost getting just 34 yards on 21 attempts. The star of the offense was Thayer Thomas who caught nine receptions for 84 yards.

NC State only dropped down four spots to 14th in the country after falling to #5 Clemson. They now face Florida State at home which should be a very good matchup between the two teams. On the other side, Clemson stayed put at the 5th spot after their top 10 win. They now have Boston College on the road this week in what should be an easy game for them.