College Football Top 10 (Week 12)

1)  Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) defeated Mercer Bears 56-0

This was a simple tune-up before the all-important Iron Bowl next week against Auburn. The defense made it look easy, because it was. Alabama ran over a severely outmatched Mercer team on both sides of the ball. The Crimson Tide defense gave up 161 total yards. They held the Bears to 5-16 on third down and forced three turnovers. The offense gained 530 total yards. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was perfect in his half of work, going 7 -7 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley had three catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. The running game pounded out 265 yards.

 

2)  Miami Hurricanes (11-0) defeated Virginia Cavaliers 44-28

Virginia shocked the Hurricane crowd when they jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. Miami battled back and was only down 21-14 at the half. Hurricane head coach Mark Richt needs to bottle his halftime speech, because his players came out in the second half and dominated, outscoring Virginia 30-7. The defense struggled early but made the necessary adjustments. They gave up 439 total yards and that needs to be fixed. Miami’s offense gained 358 total yards. Quarterback Malik Rosier was steady, going 15-28 for 220 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back Travis Homer had 17 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown.

 

3)  Clemson Tigers (10-1) defeated The Citadel Bulldogs 61-3

Clemson had no problem against The Citadel, as this was nothing more than a glorified scrimmage. The Tigers jumped out to a 38-0 halftime lead and never looked back. The defense gave up 216 total yards. They held the Bulldogs to 4-17 on third downs, 0-2 on fourth down, and forced two turnovers. The offense gained 662 total yards. Quarterback Kelly Bryant was 17-22 for 230 yards with three touchdowns. Wide receivers Tee Higgins (6 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns) and Deon Cain (5 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown) had huge days. This was a nice warmup before the ACC title showdown against Miami.

 

4)  Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) defeated Kansas Jayhawks 41-3

In a bizarre twist, the Jayhawks’ players refused to shake Sooner quarterback Baker Mayfield’s hand during the coin toss. Mayfield made headlines during the game, making an obscene gesture towards the Kansas bench after throwing a touchdown pass. Oklahoma got off to a slow start before pulling away from a bad Kansas team. The defense gave up 155 total yards. They held Kansas to 2-17 on third down and forced two turnovers. The offense gained 469 total yards. Mayfield went 20-30 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. The rushing attack under performed with 157 yards. Unfortunately, a lot of focus will be on Mayfield’s sideline antics.

 

5)  Wisconsin Badgers (11-0) defeated Michigan Wolverines 24-10

Wisconsin struggled in the first half but outscored Michigan 17-3 in the second half to take control of the game. Once Wolverine quarterback Brandon Peters got hurt, Michigan’s offense sputtered the rest of the way. The Badger defense gave up 234 total yards. They held Michigan to 5-17 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down. The offense gained 325 total yards. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook was 9-19 for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running back Jonathan Taylor was a workhorse with 19 carries for 132 yards.

 

6)  Auburn Tigers (9-2) defeated Louisiana Monroe Warhawks 42-14

Auburn methodically wore down their opponent with a punishing ground attack. The defense gave up 333 total yards, a little worrisome considering what’s coming up. They did hold the Warhawks to 8-20 on third down and forced three turnovers. The offense gained 552 total yards. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham was 18-24 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Running back Kerryon Johnson had 137 rushing yards and a touchdown. Another “get right” game before the Iron Bowl next week.

 

7)  Georgia Bulldogs (10-1) defeated Kentucky Wildcats 42-13

Georgia got back to winning and ran right past Kentucky. The defense gave up 262 total yards, holding Kentucky to 4-13 on third down. They were never really challenged by the Wildcats. The offense gained 504 total yards. Quarterback Jake Fromm was 9-14 for 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He will need to be better in order for them to have a chance in the SEC championship game. Running back Nick Chubb had 151 yards and two touchdowns while his his running mate Sony Michel had 87 yards and three touchdowns. They can not overlook rival Georgia Tech next week.

 

8)  Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2) defeated Illinois Fighting Illini 52-14

Ohio State crushed a bad Illinois team. A quick start put to rest any idea of an upset. The defense gave up just 105 total yards. They held Illinois to just five first downs and 1-12 on third down. This game was not a challenge at all. The offense gained 543 total yards. Quarterback JT Barrett was 11-19 for 141 yards with two touchdowns, not bad for one half of work. Running back Mike Weber looked good with 108 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. They have Michigan next week before getting Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game.

 

9)  USC Trojans (10-2) defeated UCLA 28-23

USC survived against cross town rival UCLA. The defense was awful, giving up over 500 total yards as they could not stop the Bruins’ passing attack. This has been a problem all season long. The offense gained 417 total yards. Quarterback Sam Darnold was 17-28 for 264 yards with an interception. Running back Ronald Jones had 122 yards and two touchdowns. It’s been a roller coaster season for the Trojans. The season can still be a success if they win the PAC 12 and make it to a New Year’s bowl game.

 

10)  Penn State Nittany Lions (9-2) defeated Nebraska Cornhuskers 56-44

Penn State got into a shootout with Nebraska and held on for the victory. The way this game played out was surprising considering the Cornhuskers struggle on offense. The Penn State defense was not good, giving up 466 total yards. The offense gained over 600 total yards. Quarterback Trace McSorley was superb, going 24-36 for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Saquon Barkley was back to his Heisman form with 158 rushing yards with three touchdowns and another 66 receiving yards. Wide receiver Juwan Johnson had 105 receiving yards. They need to finish out the season strong and have a good showing in a bowl game.