Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest rankings here.
Prime time is college football’s showcase. The best matchups are often moved to the late window (although not the latest, ala “Pac-12 After Dark”) on Saturday while schools that play Thursday and Friday evening have the chance to showcase their brand on a limited menu (even with the NFL doing its thing).
Virginia Tech made Thursday night games a part of what made the Frank Beamer teams special (along with the smoked turkey legs at Lane Stadium). James Madison and Maryland both had that spotlight in Week 7.
While one shined, the other shrunk. JMU was coming off a five-day turnaround after a loss and responded with a rout while the Terrapins were coming out of a bye week and weren’t able to stay with a sub-.500 Northwestern.
Meanwhile, the game of the week (with apologies to Texas-Oklahoma-State Fair Food) saw No. 3 Oregon outscore No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 as the Buckeyes ran out of time with the football. Also on prime-time Saturday, No. 13 LSU edged No. 9 Mississippi in overtime.
It’s nice when prime time delivers thrills and chills, instead of spills.
Maryland (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) had a week off to fix what went wrong in their 14-point loss at Indiana and they certainly didn’t begin with a bang, allowing Northwestern to score on three of its first four possessions (one of which was aided by a fumbled kickoff).
But the Terps grinded their way back and actually had the ball trailing by seven with 13 minutes left in regulation. And then disaster struck. Two fumbles and an interception led to 17 points and the Wildcats buried Maryland 37-10.
Terrapin Triumphs: Kaden Prather and Tai Felton were both question marks after being banged up in the loss at IU, and the duo combined for 17 catches and 158 yards (over half the team’s total).
After falling behind 14-0 the defense did more than its part, holding the Wildcats to eight yards on 16 offensive plays from scrimmage over the next five Wildcat possessions. And Bryce McFerson averaged 41 yards per punt.
Terrapin Troubles: The offense converted just 6-15 third downs and had issues just about every time they crossed midfield. The defense coughed up pass plays of 28, 40 (twice), and 55 yards. Special teams had issues from a fumbled kickoff to near-botched punt and kickoff returns.
Next: Saturday at 4 p.m. against 3-3 USC for Homecoming.
Virginia (4-2, 2-1 ACC) started strong against Louisville, reaching the end zone on their first drive of the day. After falling 10 points down in the second half, the Cavaliers rallied for three scores, including a 46-yard strike from Anthony Colandria to Xavier Brown with just over 10 minutes left to take a 20-17 lead.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals would respond with a touchdown drive of their own and Virginia’s hopes died with under a minute to play on a fourth-down incompletion at the Louisville 39-yard line as they lost 24-20.
Cavaliers Congrats: Colandria threw for 279 yards and a touchdown while running for 84 yards, while his top target Malachi Fields notched nine catches for 129 yards. The offense posted zero turnovers. Jonas Sanker posted 11 tackles while the defense held the Cardinals to 3-10 on third down.
Cavalier Concerns: Daniel Sparks did not have a good day, averaging under 30 yards per punt. Two of his kicks set up short fields for Louisville, leading to their first two touchdowns. The offense twice stalled inside the Louisville 10-yard line, settling for a field goal while tossing an incomplete pass on fourth down.
Next: Saturday at No. 10 Clemson (5-1) at noon on the ACC Network.
James Madison (5-1, 1-1 Sun Belt) looked as if there would be a carryover from the team’s loss at UL Monroe just five days before when they fumbled away their first possession while also allowing a first-quarter touchdown against Coastal Carolina. But JMU turned the tables on the Chanticleers in the second quarter with three touchdowns en route to a 39-7 thumping.
Duke Do’s: Alonza Barnett III threw three touchdown passes while running for another score. Jacob Dobbs tallied nine tackles to pace a defense that held the Chanticleers to 3-14 on third down, returned an interception for a touchdown and held them to 24 yards on 19 plays from scrimmage in the second half.
Ryan Hanson averaged 48.8 yards per punt, landing four of five kicks inside the Coastal 20-yard line.
Duke Don’ts: Nine penalties for 62 yards didn’t cost them this time and they survived a slow start, but they only need to look to the loss at UL Monroe to know that momentum can be a fickle mistress.
Next: Saturday at 4-2 Georgia Southern at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
