| Dear Readers, First and foremost, I got to give out my congratulations to Coastal Carolina, who earned their first win over a ranked team (at Louisiana, who was ranked #21 in the major polls) since moving up to NCAA Division 1 FBS. In case anyone is wondering, Head Coach Nick Saban is now 22-0 against former assistants, including a 41-24 home win over Georgia (under Head Coach Kirby Smart, who was a Defensive Coordinator from 2008-15 at ‘Bama). Also, Saban ties Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno (1966-2011) for most wins against an AP-ranked team with 86 wins. I know most of you are excited about the Big Ten this coming weekend, I likely have this weekly review done either MON or TUES-if not SUN. We’ve had eight past and present college football head coaches test positive for CO-VID19, including eight active head coaches in NCAA Division I FBS. Former Florida State Head Coach Bobby Bowden is the only past head coach who tested positive. I am praying for all suffering from this disease. I wish this outbreak pandemic could’ve been over before this season began. be careful out there and I can’t wait to get back to normal! RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT 1. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama(Passed 24-32, 417 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT in the Crimson Tide’s 41-24 home win over Georgia. His 220.1 pass efficiency rating leads the nation.) 2. Jaylon Waddle, WR, Alabama(183 all-purpose running yards in the Crimson Tide’s home win over Georgia. Received 6 catches, 161 yards, and 1 TD of 90 yards. Returned 1 kickoff for 22 yards. His 557 receiving yards are second in the SEC and fourth nationally.) 3. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson(Passed 24-32, 404 yards, 5 TDs, and 1 in the Tigers’ 73-7 road win over rival Georgia Tech. His 81 career passing TDs are third-most in school and fourth-most in ACC history. His 15 passing TDs lead the ACC and second nationally.) RICH’S TOP TEN 1. Alabama 2. Clemson 3. Notre Dame 4. Cincinnati (6) 5. Oklahoma State (7) 6. Ohio State (8) 7. Penn State (9) 8. Oregon (10) 9. Wisconsin (OTM) 10. SMU (OTM) OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):BYU, Marshall, and Coastal Carolina RANKINGS ANALYSIS: For a fourth straight week, another shake-up in my top ten rankings… North Carolina, who was ranked #5 in my top ten and also the AP sportswritters’ poll, had a 31-28 road loss against Florida State. It took 2 blocked punts and dropped passes for the Tar Heels to lose this game and ruin whatever hopes they might’ve had. North Carolina will have a home game against N.C State this SAT (Noon, ESPN)…Alabama remains #1 in my top ten rankings after a 41-24 home win over Georgia. Like any championship-caliber team being down 24-20 at halftime, the Crimson Tide responded by scoring 21 unanswered points against the Bulldogs. There is no stopping the Tide until they play in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama will have a road game against Tennessee this SAT (3:30 PM, CBS)….No surprise that #2 Clemson had a blowout road win over rival Georgia Tech by winning 73-7 over the Yellow Jackets (including a 52-7 lead at halftime). That blowout win by the Tigers is the largest in ACC history. Clemson will have a game against Syracuse this SAT (Noon, ACCN)…Notre Dame remains at #3 after surviving a 12-7 home win over Louisville. I really thought that game would’ve been an offensive game but it was a more defensive game. The Fighting Irish will likely remain at #3 and win the next two games before a Nov.7 home game against the four-time defending ACC Champions Clemson. Notre Dame will have a road game against Pittsburgh this SAT (3:30 PM, ABC)….Cincinnati moves up from #6 to #4. The UC Bearcats are coming off another bye-week after their road game against Tulsa got postponed because of CO-VID19. I really believe Cincinnati have enough talent to have a road win over SMU, who I moved from OTM to #10, this SAT (9 PM, ESPN 2). I can’t count the Mustangs out, especially after they survived a 37-34 road win (1 OT) over Tulane….BYU keeps surprising people like me. Until the BYU Cougars lose a game, they will be among my OTMs. After being down 26-14, BYU scored 29 unanswered points to have a 43-26 road win over Houston. The Cougars have a home game against Texas State this SAT (10:15 PM, ESPN)… Oklahoma State moves from #7 to #5. The OSU Cowboys are coming off another bye-week after their road game against Baylor was postponed because of CO-VID19. The Cowboys have a home game against upset-minded Iowa State this SAT (3:30 PM, FOX)…#8 Ohio State, who moves up from #8 to #6, will finally kickoff the 2020 season with a home game against Nebraska this SAT (Noon, FOX)…Penn State, who moves up from #9 to #7, will finally kickoff the 2020 season with a road game against Indiana this SAT (3:30 PM, FS1)…Oregon, who moves up from #10 to #8, will have to wait another two weeks before a Nov.7 home game against Stanford…Wisconsin, who moves up from OTM to #9, will kickoff the 2020 season with a home game against Illinois this SAT (8 PM, BTN)..I have to put undefeated Coastal Carolina (4-0) among my OTMs because of their 30-27 road win over then-undefeated Louisiana, who I had among my OTMs in the last two weeks. We could see a rematch between these schools in the SBC Championship Game…Marshall is clearly is one of the best undefeated non-power conference team. The Thundering Herd showed us WHY in a 35-17 road win over La Tech. Marshall will have a home game against Florida Atlantic this SAT (3:30 PM)…I have to put Coastal Carolina among my OTMs for however long possible. The undefeated Chanticleers are on their fourth 4-0 start in school history, coming off a 30-27 road win over then-undefeated Louisiana, who was among my OTMs for two straight weeks, this past WED…Any team who carries a 5-0 mark and wins next week will be bowl-eligible this season. The winner of the Michigan at Minnesota has a very likely chance of being among my OTMs. We might finally allow a once-defeated team be among my OTMs if a few undefeated teams lose next weekend… GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS Notre Dame CB Shaun Crawford- Produced 6 tackles (co-led team; 5 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the Fighting Irish’s 12-7 home win over Louisville. Alabama WR DeVonta Smith- Received 11 catches, 167 yards, and 2 TDs (17 and 13) in the Crimson Tide’s 41-24 home win over Georgia. Also had a 34-yard catch. His 27 career receiving TDs are second-most in school history. Alabama DE Christian Barmore- Produced 3 tackles (2 solo), 1 TFL/sack, 1 forced fumble, and 2 PBUs in the Crimson Tide’s home win over Georgia. Alabama S Malachi Moore- Produced 2 tackles (1 solo), 1 INT (42 yards), 1 PBU, and 1 QB hurry in the Crimson Tide’s home win over Georgia. Florida State DE Janarius Robinson- Produced 3 tackles (all solo), 3 TFLs, and 2 sacks in the Seminoles’ 31-28 home win over North Carolia. Clemson WR Amari Rogers- Received 6 catches, 161 yards, and 2 TDs (83 and 16) in the Tigers’ 73-7 road win over rival Georgia Tech. Clemson LB Mike Jones Jr- Produced 4 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 forced fumble in the Tigers’ road win over Georgia Tech. South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn- Produced 3 tackles (2 solo), 2 INTs (including a 34-yard INT return), and 4 PBUs in the Gamecocks’ 30-22 home win over Auburn. South Carolina P Kai Kroeger- Had 5 punts with 48.4 yards per punt in the Gamecocks’ home win over Auburn. Miami DE Quincy Roche- Produced 7 tackles (4 solo), 4 TFLs, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 QB hurry in the Hurricanes’ 31-19 home win over Pittsburgh. Miami DT Jared Harrison-Hunte- Produced 4 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble in the Hurricanes’ home win over Pittsburgh. N.C State LB Payton Wilson- Produced 19 tackles (led team; 8 solo) and 2 INTs in the Wolfpack’s 31-20 home win over Duke. Arkansas LB Grant Morgan- Made that game-winning INT (23-yard TD; on 2nd and 12 with 3:07 remaining) to seal the Razorbacks’ 33-21 home win over Mississippi. Also produced 19 tackles (led team; 5 solo), 3 TFLs, and 2 PBUs. Arkansas CB Hudson Clark- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo) and 3 INTs (including an 18-yard INT return) in the Razorbacks’ home win over Mississippi. The Texas A&M defense- Held the Miss. State offense to 217 total yards (including -2 rushing yards) in the Aggies’ 28-14 road win over Miss.State. Texas A&M LB Buddy Johnson- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 2 solo), 1 forced fumble, and 2 PBUs in the Aggies’ road win over Miss. State. Wake Forest PK Nick Sciba- Scored 16 points in the Demon Deacons’ 40-23 home win over Virginia. Wake Forest RB Kenneth Walker- Rushed 23 carries, 128 yards, and 3 TDs (3, 75, and 9) in the Demon Deacons’ home win over Virginia. Wake Forest CB Ja’Sir Taylor- Produced 6 tackles (4 solo) and 3 PBUs in the Demon Deacons’ home win over Virginia. Virginia Tech QB Hendon Hooker- 275 total offensive yards and 4 TDs in the Hokies’ 40-14 home win over Boston College. Rushed 18 carries, 164 yards, and 3 TDs (7, 5, and 17). Also had a 31-yard carry. Passed 11-15, 111 yards, and 1 TD. Virginia Tech RB Khalil Herbert- Rushed 18 carries for 164 yards, including a 57-yard carry, in the Hokies’ home win over Boston College. Virginia Tech DE Amare Barno- Produced 3 tackles (2 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 fumble recovery in the Hokies’ home win over Boston College. West Virginia RB Leddie Brown- Rushed 18 carries, 195 yards, and 1 TD (87 yards) in the Mountaineers’ 38-17 home win over Kansas. West Virginia LB Tykee Smith- Produced 8 tackles (5 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 PBU in the Mountaineers’ home win over Kansas. Kentucky LB Jamin Davis- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 5 solo) and 1 INT (85-yard TD) in the UK Wildcats’ 34-7 road win over Tennessee. Kentucky CB Kelvin Joseph- Produced 4 tackles (2 solo), 1 INT (41-yard TD), and 1 PBU in the Wildcats’ road win over Tennessee. SMU PK Chris Nagar- Scored 13 points in the SMU Mustangs’ 37-34 road win over Tulane. Kicked 3-5 FGs (including a 48-yard FG) and scored on all 4 XPK attempts. Scored a 34-yard FG (in 1st OT) to win this game. SMU WR Danny Gray- 208 all-purpose running yards and scored 2 TDs in the Mustangs’ road win over Tulane. Received 5 catches, 133 yards, and 1 TD (10 yards). Also had a 61-yard catch. Rushed 1 carry for a 32-yard TD. Returned 3 kickoffs for 43 yards, including a 20-yard kickoff return. SMU CB Brandon Crossley- Made an INT (13 yards; on 3rd and 16 in 1st OT) to prevent a score in the Mustangs’ road win over Tulane. Also produced 1 solo tackle. Memphis QB Brady White- 516 total offensive yards and 7 TDs responsible for in the Tigers’ 50-49 home win over UCF. Passed 34-50, 486 yards, and 6 TDs. Rushed 8 carries, 30 yards, and 1 TD (from 1 yard out). His 486 passing yards is a single-game school record. His 72 passing TDs are second-most in school history. Memphis WR Calvin Austin- Received 9 catches, 151 yards, and 2 TDs (12 and 4) in the Tigers’ home win over UCF. Also had a 40-yard catch. Memphis NB Rodney Owens- Produced 12 tackles (10 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 forced fumble in the Tigers’ home win over UCF. UCF QB Dillon Gabriel- 650 total offensive yards and 6 TDs responsible for in the Golden Knights’ road loss against Memphis. Passed 35-49, 601 yards, and 5 TDs. Rushed 12 carries, 49 yards, and 1 TD (14 yards). Also had a 28-yard carry. UCF WRs Marlon Williams and Ryan O’Keefe- Each had 100 receiving yards in the Golden Knights’ road loss against Memphis. Williams received 13 catches, 191 yards, and 1 TD (85 yards). O’Keefe received 4 catches, 175 yards, and 1 TD (93 yards). Coastal Carolina P Charles Ouverson- Had 4 punts with 42.5 yards per punt in the Chanticleers’ 30-27 road win over Louisiana. All 4 punts landed inside the 20-yard line, including a 40-yard punt landing on the 1-yard line. BYU QB Zach Wilson- 440 total offensive yards in the Cougars’ 43-26 road win over Houston. Passed 25-35, 400 yards, and 4 TDs. Rushed 9 carries for 40 yards, including a 32-yard carry. BYU WR Dax Milne- Received 9 catches, 184 yards, and 3 TDs (78,2, and 18) in the Cougars’ road win over Houston. The Marshall defense- Held the La Tech offense to 267 total yards (including 7 rushing yards) in the Thundering Herd’s 35-17 road win over La Tech. Marshall LB Eli Neal- Produced 7 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 INT (11 yards) in the Thundering Herd’s road win over La Tech. Liberty CB Emanuel Dabney- Produced 5 tackles (all solo), 1 TFL, and 2 PBUs in the Flames’ 38-21 road win over Syracuse. Liberty RB Shdro Louis- Rushed 10 carries, 170 yards, and 2 TDs (75 and 52) in the Flames’ road win over Syracuse. Navy FB Nelson Smith- Rushed 17 carries, 157 yards, and 2 TDs (20 and 29) in the Midshipmen’s 27-23 road win over East Carolina. Also had a 32-yard carry. Navy LB Diego Fagot- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 7 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 QB hurry in the Midshipmen’s road win over East Carolina. East Carolina RB Rahjai Harris- Rushed 22 carries, 172 yards, and 1 TD (80 yards) in the ECU Pirates’ home loss against Navy. Temple DE Arnold Ebiketie- Produced 6 tackles (5 solo), 3 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery (11-yard TD) in the Owls’ 39-37 home win over South Florida. Arkansas State QB Layne Hatcher- Passed 21-28, 332 yards, and 4 TDs in the Red Wolves’ 59-52 home win over Georgia State. Arkansas State WRs Jonathan Adams and Dahu Green- Each scored 2 receiving TDs in the Road Wolves’ home win over Georgia State. Adams received 15 catches for 177 yards, including TDs of 42 and 32. Green received 9 catches for 172 yards, including TDs of 49 and 20. Arkansas State CB Samy Johnson- Produced 3 tackles (all solo) and 4 PBUs in the Red Wolves’ home win over Georgia State. Georgia State WR Sam Pinckney- Received 6 catches, 146 yards, and 3 TDs (21, 36, and 31) in the Panthers’ road loss against Arkansas State. Also had a 46-yard catch. Troy RB Kimani Vidal- Rushed 13 carries, 143 yards, and 1 TD (from 1 yard out) in the Troy Trojans’ 31-29 home win over Eastern Kentucky. Also had a 27-yard carry. Eastern Kentucky WR Keyion Dixon- Received 8 catches, 196 yards, and 2 TDs (90 and 4) in the Colonials’ road loss against Troy. The North Texas offensive line- Helped this offense have 768 total yards (including 486 rushing yards) and have 32 1st downs (including 20 from rushing) and allowed 5 TFLs (including 2 sacks) in the Mean Green’s 52-35 road win over MTSU. North Texas QB Jason Bean- Came off the bench in the 2nd quarter. 350 total offensive yards and 5 TDs responsible for in the Mean Green’s 52-35 road win over MTSU. Passed 12-17, 181 yards, and 2 TDs. Rushed 10 carries, 169 yards, and 3 TDs (4,48, and 48). North Texas RB DeAndre Torrey- Rushed 13 carries, 143 yards, and 2 TDs (1 and 60) in the Mean Green’s road win over MTSU. North Texas WR Jaelon Darden- Received 10 catches, 204 yards, and 1 TD (55 yards) in the Mean Green’s road win over MTSU. North Texas LB Tyreke Davis- Produced 8 tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL/sack, 1 PBU, and 1 QB hurry in the Mean Green’s road win over MTSU. UAB RB DeWayne McBride- Rushed 10 carries, 131 yards, and 1 TD (71 yards) in the UAB Blazers’ 37-14 home win over Western Kentucky. UAB CB Brontae Harris- Produced 5 tackles (4 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 INT in the Blazers’ home win over Western Kentucky. Georgia Southern RB Wesley Kennedy III- Rushed 6 carries, 106 yards, and 1 TD (56 yards) in the Eagles’ 41-0 home win over Massachusetts. |
