Published Oct 12, 2020
Around the NCAA: Week 6
circle avatar
Marcus Horton  •  DottingTheEyes
Staff
Twitter
@antiarcushorton

College football never disappoints.

Week 6 was no different than everything we’ve seen already this season. Even with limited crowds and inflated rankings, the action was incredible once again.

The Big 12 and Texas keep providing legendary games. The SEC had its own share of upsets and big-time scares. And of course, Clemson continues to torch the ACC, no matter how hyped up its opponents are.

Let’s take a trip around the country and look at what went down in Week 6.

Two weeks until Big Ten football.

Advertisement

Clemson Cakewalk

No. 1 Clemson was barely threatened in its biggest matchup of the season to date, blowing out No. 7 Miami on Saturday night, 42-17.

Expectations were high for the Hurricanes this weekend after a 3-0 start, but it was clear from the beginning that both teams were not on the same playing field.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was stellar once again, throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns. He was aided by senior running back Travis Ettiene, who registered 149 yards and two scores on the ground to go with 73 receiving yards.

“Every game is important because it’s the next one. But this one had a little extra,” Lawrence said.

The game was the only top-10 matchup of the weekend and was supposed to be the first real test for a Tiger team that had outscored opponents 127-36 through four games.

It wasn’t a test.

Miami returned a 61-yard blocked field goal for a touchdown as time expired in the second quarter, turning a 21-3 deficit into a closer-looking affair, but Clemson scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game away.

The U was out-gained by over 300 yards and quarterback D’Eriq King struggled mightily, completing only 12 passes for 121 yards and two interceptions. 11 of the Hurricanes’ 13 drives ended in a punt or turnover, and the offense only managed nine first downs.

It was another complete domination for the nation’s best team.

Clemson travels to Georgia Tech next. Miami will take on Pitt at home.

Tide Survives

In a game that was within one touchdown for all but three minutes, No. 2 Alabama pulled away late, taking down Ole Miss 63-48 in a barn burner.

After heading into halftime tied at 21, the two teams recorded seven straight touchdowns to open the second half. They ended up combining for 1,370 yards.

The Crimson Tide put together 723 of those yards, good for the most by the program in nearly 50 years. It was led by 206 yards on 23 carries from running back Najee Harris.

Harris' five touchdowns on the ground are tied for the most ever by an Alabama player. Quarterback Mac Jones added 417 yards through the air and completed all but four of his pass attempts.

It was an exceptional night for the Crimson Tide- both for good and bad.

Ole Miss tore apart the Alabama defense for 48 points- the most an Alabama team has allowed in a win, ever.

“We’ve never played this way on defense,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “It’s certainly not what we try to aspire to be as a defensive team.”

The Rebels rushed for 268 yards on the night and went 4/4 on fourth down conversions. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin implemented a no-huddle offense that had Alabama struggling to keep pace late in the game.

The second half started with seven straight touchdowns from the teams, and until Ole Miss was sacked to end the game, neither team finished a drive with anything but points in the final half.

The win was No. 93 straight for Alabama against unranked opponents under Saban.

It wasn’t a statement, but the Crimson Tide stayed alive.

Alabama hosts No. 3 Georgia on Saturday. The road doesn't get any easier for the SEC's premier team.

UNC Erupts

No. 8 North Carolina added even more offense to a weekend with plenty of scoring, beating No. 19 Virginia Tech, 56-45. It held off a third quarter comeback by the Hokies to stay undefeated in 2020.

UNC running back Javonte Williams scored two times on the ground in the first quarter en route to a 21-0 opening lead for the Tar Heels.

Williams finished with 169 yards on the ground, but still managed to trail teammate Michael Carter, who ran for 214 and his own pair of touchdowns.

The North Carolina rushing excellence combined with quarterback Sam Howell’s 257 yards passing and three touchdowns powered the Tar Heels to 656 yards.

“North Carolina’s explosive on offense,” Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. “If you can’t fit the run game, you’re at their mercy. They can do whatever they want.”

Under normal circumstances, Virginia Tech had an outstanding day. It didn’t turn the ball over and ended up with just under 500 yards.

Unfortunately, the explosive North Carolina offense everyone expected entering 2020 finally showed up.

Tech was within three points with under a minute left in the third, but never moved any closer.

It was a statement win for UNC and head coach Mack Brown.

The Tar Heels travel to Florida State next. Virginia Tech hosts Boston College.

Red River Uproar

Texas has become must-see TV every week.

In one of the wildest Red River Showdowns of all time, Oklahoma upset the No. 22 Longhorns in quadruple overtime.

The game was back-and-forth until the very end. Oklahoma jumped to a 10-point lead after one quarter. Texas outscored the Sooners by 10 in the second, then was outscored by 14 in the third before Sam Ehlinger led a two-touchdown comeback to send the game to overtime.

Neither team could register a stop through two overtimes, and both missed field goals in the third free period before Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler threw a 25-yard score in OT No. 4.

Ehlinger was intercepted on the final Texas possession, sealing the Oklahoma upset.

“We had a lot of guys that were hurting, a lot of guys that were just absolutely gassed and everybody was just begging to go back in the game,” Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley said. "I'm not sure I can give you a completely accurate description of what this means. Obviously, it's huge.”

Rattler bounced back from two shaky performances with a three-touchdown performance through the air, and added 51 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He was benched in the first half but returned to lead the Sooners to a much-needed victory.

By Rattler's side was running back T.J. Plettler, who finished with 131 yards and two scores.

Texas was led once again by its senior quarterback. Ehlinger tossed two touchdowns and ran for four more of his own, accounting for 399 of Texas’ 428 yards.

"We have the talent- that's not the issue," Ehlinger said. "We have the schemes- that's not the issue. We always seem to be tripping ourselves up.”

Such seems to be the case for the Big 12 as a whole this season.

Both teams stay in the Lone Star State next week; Texas hosts Baylor and Oklahoma travels to TCU.

SEC Mayhem

The SEC has officially joined the chaos of college football in 2020.

Two ranked teams were upset on Saturday, including No. 17 LSU losing once more to an unranked opponent.

The Tigers fell to previously winless Missouri, 45-41.

Offense isn’t the issue for last year's national champs. Quarterback Myles Brennan threw for 430 yards and four touchdowns and LSU didn't turn the ball over.

It was the defense that destroyed Ed Orgeron’s team.

LSU gave up 586 yards. Missouri quarterback Grant Bazelak had a career day, tossing four scores on his way to 406 yards, including the game-winning pass with five minutes remaining.

Orgeron and company drop to 1-2 for the first time since 1994.

No. 4 Florida joined the Tigers in defeat, falling 41-38 to No. 21 Texas A&M on a 26-yard field goal by Seth Small as time expired.

The Aggies were carried by a pair of dominant performances from quarterback Kellen Mond and running back Isaiah Spiller. Mond threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns and Spiller ran for 174 yards and two scores.

“I think this is a real big confidence-booster,” Spiller said. “I feel like we really gained our identity.”

Florida was outmatched in all areas on Saturday. It was out-gained, recorded ten fewer first downs, and held the ball for nine fewer minutes than A&M, which scored twice in the final four minutes to pull out a win.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 continue to sit back and watch as the rest of the country destroys itself.

See you next week.

AP Top 25 results in Week 6
RankTeamResult

1

Clemson

W, 42-17 vs. No. 7 Miami

2

Alabama

W, 63-48 @ Ole Miss

3

Georgia

W, 44-21 vs. No. 14 Tennessee

4

Florida

L, 41-38 @ No. 21 Texas A&M

5

Notre Dame

W, 42-26 vs. Florida State

7

Miami

L, 42-17 @ No. 1 Clemson

8

North Carolina

W, 56-45 vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech

13

Auburn

W, 30-28 vs. Arkansas

14

Tennessee

L, 44-21 @ No. 3 Georgia

15

BYU

W, 27-20 vs. UTSA

17

LSU

L, 45-41 vs. Missouri

19

Virginia Tech

L, 56-45 @ No. 8 North Carolina

21

Texas A&M

W, 41-38 vs. No. 4 Florida

22

Texas

L, 53-45 @ Oklahoma (4OT)

24

Iowa State

W, 31-15 vs. Texas Tech