College Soccer 2023: Winners and Losers from Week 9

Had you taken a examine this week’s faculty football schedule, there set up now not need been many matchups that caught your perceive.

Sure, there were some competition games, but there were factual two showdowns between ranked opponents (Oregon-Utah and Duke-Louisville).

That did now not defend it from being a thrilling day, although. And that became once even with neither of the afternoon’s ranked games being rate a perceive. In those, Oregon dominated Utah 35-6, and Louisville shut out Duke 23-0.

Level-headed, there became once a cramped of drama in a historic Kansas upset of Oklahoma and in USC surviving a final-minute two-point conversion by Cal in a 50-49 classic. Washington had to sweat out a get hang of over Stanford, too, and Ohio Converse didn’t occupy an straightforward time beating Wisconsin.

Georgia unleashed a season’s rate of up-and-down fury on rival Florida, and there became once a lot more action.

Let’s take hang of a detect at the winners and losers from Week 9, and take a look at abet later this evening for updates.

It be now not related what they call it after forsaking the nickname just a few years abet, the Georgia-Florida game will eternally be identified to those within the South because the World’s Biggest Cocktail Occasion.

If the Bulldogs defend playing adore they did Saturday against the Gators, they’re going to merely occupy their fans toasting to a third consecutive nationwide championship at the pinnacle of the season.

It be been an uneven marketing campaign up to now for coach Kirby Orderly’s team after losing quarterback Stetson Bennett and rather a lot ability to the NFL, but the schedule hasn’t been very noteworthy, either. At times, it appears UGA is factual toying with opponents, playing up or down to competition.

When it matters most, although, the Bulldogs are tearing it up, and additionally they tore into Florida in Jacksonville with a thorough demolishing in a 43-20 get hang of that became once worse than the closing procure.

Florida had been playing significantly higher in recent weeks, but Georgia’s protection set up an dwell to that, suffocating the Gators’ rushing attack early whereas building a lead and doing rather much whatever it critical to offensively.

Daijun Edwards had a pair of rushing ratings, Carson Beck threw for 315 yards and the offensive line opened gaping holes all by a first half that seen Georgia set up a 26-7 halftime lead. After spotting Florida a landing, the Dawgs never looked abet.

Losing valuable person tight dwell Brock Bowers to surgical treatment worry, but the Dawgs didn’t lose that championship trip. Right here’s the Georgia team we have been waiting to glance, and it appears in discovering it irresistible might merely be a fancy out down the stretch for any individual.

As Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s closing pass did now not hunt down the fingers of a Sooners receiver and the Kansas fans rushed the arena after a historic upset, the Ample 12’s last unbeaten team fell.

In a game of twists, turns, a prolonged climate lengthen and so many errors by all aspects, Kansas come what might upended the sixth-ranked Sooners 38-33 for their first get hang of over a high-10 opponent in Lawrence since a Troy Aikman-led Sooners team lost there in 1984.

The loss introduced abet nightmares from last 365 days’s Sooners team that went 0-5 in a single-procure games. After his team beat Texas and UCF in tight contests this 365 days, coach Brent Venables maybe thought those days were over. Kansas had other tips.

KU backup quarterback Jason Bean erased some major errors with a huge play as OU’s protection broke down at the supreme moment. Bean found Lawrence Arnold for 37 yards on 4th-and-6 from the Sooners’ 46-yard line with the game on the line. Kani Walker purchased modified into around in coverage, permitting Arnold to lower unfastened and speed all by the 10.

Fatherland valuable person Devin Neal ran the last nine yards in for the dash-forward landing on his manner to a 112-yard effort, and Kansas’ protection zigzag handiest ample but didn’t fracture within the pinnacle.

“We factual had to battle by adversity,” Neal told the Fox crew after the game. “There became once rather a lot occurring with the rain, the aspects, that became once an very impartial appropriate protection we faced. So for us to advance abet and defend battling, defend battling and defend executing gradual down the stretch, capacity plenty for the offense.”

This became once KU’s first get hang of over Oklahoma since 1997, and the Sooners now need to regroup in a bustle as its College Soccer Playoff hopes take hang of a prime hit.

In spite of Oregon’s broad-factual, last-second loss to Washington just a few weeks ago, the Ducks are one in every of the nation’s handiest groups, and additionally they proceed to cowl it a week.

Living proof: Teams don’t factual dash in to play Utah in Salt Lake Metropolis’s hostile environment and obliterate the Utes. However that’s factual what Dan Lanning’s Ducks did on Saturday, taking one in every of faculty football’s handiest two Top 25 showdowns and turning it precise into a laugher.

Oregon won 35-6, and it became once thorough.

Utah’s vaunted protection had carried all of it by a first half of the season that seen coach Kyle Whittingham advise that beginning quarterback Cam Rising became once taking a scientific redshirt after being unable to advance your entire manner abet from a knee injury last 365 days.

Whittingham has gotten ingenious to occupy offensive gaps, spirited security Sione Vaki over to play working abet and turning ragged stroll-on quarterback Bryson Barnes precise into a playmaker and hero. However those looked adore smoke and mirrors against the Ducks.

Even more gorgeous, nonetheless, became once what Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and a sturdy exact of runners were in a feature to attain against the 2-time defending Pac-12 champion Utes.

Nix came into the game main the nation in completion share and did nothing to hurt those numbers, going 24-of-38 for 248 yards and a pair of scoring tosses. Defensively, Oregon flexed an SEC-caliber protection below ragged UGA defensive coordinator Lanning and confused Barnes with two interceptions.

This became once a mismatch from the beginning attach, and even a one-loss Oregon appears adore a playoff contender.

In case you occupy a losing fable and are going by a ranked team browsing to get abet heading within the suitable route, you merely cannot give them extra possessions.

That’s precisely what the California Bears did at home against USC on Saturday, costing them a probability handy the reeling Trojans a third consecutive loss. As an replacement, coach Lincoln Riley’s team modified into two fumbles on the infamous aspect of the arena into touchdowns.

Both of them were within the fourth quarter, too. Moreover a seven-point lead, the Bears found themselves merely giving freely a pair of touchdowns. Even so, coach Justin Wilcox’s team composed had a probability to get hang of the game but might now not convert a final-minute two-point conversion in a frenetic 50-49 loss.

As heart-broken and porous as USC’s protection is—how has it now not fired coordinator Alex Grinch?—Cal charged abet downfield easily within the closing minutes, scored and went for 2 aspects. In spite of an awful game, Jaylin Smith batted down the dash-forward pass and USC won.

Following losses to Notre Dame and Utah the previous two weeks, USC might now not come up with the money for a loss. Even with just a few of the nationwide focus on Williams sitting out the remainder of the season, he played and did properly.

Now, with a lot of probably to get hang of the Pac-12 in front of them, the Trojans merely need to enhance their protection, but that hasn’t took attach all by your entire Riley-Grinch period. Cal gave away a golden replacement Saturday.

Duke purchased banged-up quarterback Riley Leonard abet for the avenue test against Louisville, but since they set up now not continually let signal-callers play protection, he might now not attain one thing else to form out Jawhar Jordan.

Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Leonard’s teammates might now not, either.

Doubly heart-broken for injury-riddled Duke, even the twin-possibility beginning quarterback who helped his team to a winning fable in coach Mike Elko’s first season a 365 days ago and bought off to a supreme commence this 365 days might now not attain much against the Cardinals protection, either.

In spite of an gruesome loss to Pittsburgh just a few weeks ago, or now not it is time to take hang of coach Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals seriously. Nothing became once straightforward for the Dukies in a lopsided 23-0 loss, and over again, Brohm’s team looked in discovering it irresistible belonged within the ACC title dialog.

The protection deserves some headlines for clear, as Duke ran zero plays in Louisville’s purple zone, but one in every of the nation’s high runners loved a career day against the team that entered main the ACC in scoring protection.

Jordan piled up a career-high 163 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns and became once, at times, unstoppable. Even supposing Louisville never essentially purchased its passing game going, Jordan shined.

It is going to merely be subtle to defend either Florida Converse quarterback Jordan Travis and North Carolina signal-caller Drake Maye from winning Convention Player of the Year, but Jordan belongs within the dialog. He became once the most convenient participant on the arena Saturday.

Penn Converse deserved to be a loser on Saturday in a zombie particular performance against Indiana on the heels of last week’s emotional setback to Ohio Converse.

However Hoosiers coach Tom Allen one-upped (one-downed?) a lackluster Nittany Lions performance with one in every of the most tone-deaf selections you might ever glance a coach invent with the game on the line.

Trailing by three aspects with 5:02 left to play, Hoosiers defensive abet Josh Sanguinetti served PSU quarterback Drew Allar his first interception in 301 makes an strive, organising IU with a 1st-and-10 from the Lions’ 21-yard line.

Moreover dash for a impartial appropriate avenue get hang of that can occupy elevated a two-get hang of team, Allen as a substitute called three consecutive Josh Henderson runs (which went for four total yards), settling for a game-tying arena impartial reasonably than attempting for the lead.

Penn Converse purchased the ball abet, Allar popped a 57-yard landing pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith to surge abet in front. Then, the tenth-ranked Lions added a sack-fumble of Brendan Sorsby that bounced by the abet of the pinnacle zone for a tack-on security in what within the end grew to turn into a 33-24 PSU get hang of.

These are now not precisely footnotes, but Allen entered the game on a sizzling sizzling seat, and his Hoosiers program became once on existence make stronger. In case you get the replacement for a dagger dash-forward landing on a momentum-swinging make a choice, you take hang of it whereas you do now not occupy one thing else to lose.

As an replacement, he played about as conservatively as you will be in a feature to, and the Hoosiers lost the game. It wouldn’t be a shocker if Allen lost his job subsequent, and it will probably merely be soon.

Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry thought he became once going to occupy a fancy resolution just a few weeks ago when ragged beginning quarterback Grant Wells returned from injury. However Kyron Drones’ play made the resolution straightforward.

The proficient Baylor transfer has settled into his role because the proud program’s starter, and Virginia Tech has reason for excitement for the major time in a lot of years.

The Hokies occupy won three of 4 and cemented a cramped of a assertion get hang of on Thursday night by dominating Syracuse at home, 38-10. Surprisingly, they are 3-1 within the ACC in Pry’s second season and 4-4 total.

“Kyron’s the man factual now,” Pry said just a few weeks ago.

Drones is showing why. Against the Orange, he threw for 194 yards and ran for 56 more. Within the future of the sturdy stretch for Tech, Drones has thrown six landing passes to no interceptions and ran for a couple more.

While the Hokies didn’t detect adore much of a conference contender possibility in a three-landing loss to Florida Converse on October 7, they’ve handled taking-care-of-industry games against Syracuse, Wake Wooded space and Pittsburgh.

With Louisville, Boston College, North Carolina Converse and Virginia left on the schedule, a lot of winning alternatives cowl themselves, and Drones is settling into having a detect adore a future valuable person.

In incompatibility to Tom Allen, there’s now not any affirm over Shane Beamer’s job. However your entire buzz surrounding his South Carolina program has taken a prime hiatus.

The most new step in a prime disappointment of a season for the Gamecocks came on the avenue against one other proficient-but-underachieving team in Texas A&M. The Aggies frail a aggregate of gargantuan plays and sturdy protection to attach Beamer’s bunch away 30-17.

The previous couple of weeks, Beamer has been the controversy of social media with some bizarre, complaining postgame press conferences that seem to focal point on every thing but the truth that he is now not doing an very impartial appropriate coaching job.

Last weekend at Missouri, he barked about the avenue services. He also took heat earlier this 365 days for throwing his defensive gamers below the proverbial bus after the loss to Florida. You factual about thought he’d whinge about Kyle Self-discipline’s crowd being too loud Saturday.

He didn’t, but the bottom line is the Gamecocks are 2-6 and 1-5 within the SEC after a loss to an Aggies team that had previously sputtered offensively earlier than getting properly against Carolina with 354 total yards and going 4-of-4 in fourth-down conversions.

It will were worse. It regarded Max Wright dragged his foot within the pinnacle zone on a pass that became once dominated incomplete and left A&M having to kick a arena impartial.

Going by Beamer on the schedule is a more difficult-than-you-mediate, out-of-conference date against Jacksonville Converse subsequent week, adopted by Vanderbilt. Even though South Carolina wins those, games remain against Kentucky and Clemson.

Now, they need to speed the desk to invent a bowl. It be a a long way shout from the team that vexed Tennessee and Clemson to discontinuance the frequent season a 365 days ago.

SMU might merely occupy felt a cramped scalded by the Ample 12 when conference growth passed it by and the conference elected to ask UCF, BYU, Cincinnati and Houston. Losses to TCU and Oklahoma this season might merely cowl the Mustangs are now not quite ready for the Energy Five.

However they’re getting primed for the ACC subsequent 365 days, anyway, by dispatching AAC competition factual now. After one other offensive explosion Saturday, the Mustangs might merely be showing they’re Tulane’s supreme competition earlier than they head out.

Coach Rhett Lashlee’s team exploded for 52 first-half aspects on its manner to a 69-10 embarrassment of struggling Tulsa.

Within the previous four games, they’ve set up up 34, 31, 55 and 69 aspects in consecutive victories that has pushed their fable to 6-2 on the 365 days and 4-0 within the conference. Rice and Memphis might merely be subtle outs constructing, but Lashlee’s offense has found its dawdle.

Heading precise into a meaningless fourth quarter up 63 aspects, SMU had scored double-digit aspects in eight consecutive quarters.

Transitioning from Tanner Mordecai (who transferred to Wisconsin) to ragged highly touted prospect Preston Stone took a whereas, but every thing is trucking now. Stone became once arresting against the Golden Typhoon, throwing for three touchdowns and 371 yards.

He kicked abet and watched a orderly half of the second half of Saturday’s blowout, and the shootout with JT Daniels and Rice subsequent week will occupy to be fun.

All of the plot in which by the last-second Oregon get hang of just a few weeks ago, Washington looked adore arguably the most convenient team within the nation.

With Heisman Trophy front-runner Michael Penix Jr. main the price at quarterback, the nation’s most total group of broad receivers and an opportunistic protection, the Huskies looked unhealthy.

Now, after the previous two weeks, they detect vulnerable heading precise into a grueling stretch against No. 24 USC, No. 13 Utah, No. 11 Oregon Converse and Washington Converse.

Will the precise Huskies stand up? Are they the beast from the major quarter of the season? Or are they the team that purchased fortunate beating an execrable Arizona Converse 15-7 and let Stanford loiter around earlier than sooner or later dispatching the Cardinal 42-33 on Saturday night?

Stanford if truth be told had the ball gradual down by factual two aspects and occupy modified into the ball over on downs, permitting the Huskies a tack-on landing, but this became once one other sweaty-palmer.

Identical to how USC purchased bailed out by quarterback Caleb Williams within the survival game against California, Washington critical one other unparalleled performance from Penix to get hang of. He threw for 369 yards and four ratings, but it became once now not his handiest night accuracy-wise.

With the plot in which Washington is playing, the door appears cracked within the Pac-12 for other groups adore one-loss Oregon and USC.

Sure, the Huskies won the game, and also you are now not going to twirl a supreme game every time out, but you also can now not play with fire as much because the Huskies occupy recently. Had been they having a detect forward to the stretch that can elaborate their season? Presumably. However they’d higher get sharper in a bustle.

Tennessee entered Saturday night’s avenue grudge match with rival Kentucky main the SEC in rushing offense, and Jaylen Wright became once the supreme valuable person of the bunch main the price.

So, had you predicted the Vols would grind away a 33-27 victory over the Wildcats in Lexington by pounding the rock and added in that a healthy Wright’s closing lift of the night would advance with 8:30 left within the third quarter, you might occupy gotten a lot of sideways appears.

Fortuitously for the Vols, they’ve a exact of other stellar runners, and sophomore third-stringer Dylan Sampson became once merely too impartial appropriate to take hang of off the arena down the stretch.

On Tennessee’s 12-play, 65-yard pressure that gave the Vols respiratory room and a nine-point advantage within the fourth, Sampson ran six times for 25 yards and caught two passes for 28 yards and two sizable first downs. His 12-yard scoring plod became once fleshy for respiratory room.

Then, because the Vols ran out the clock, Sampson’s 24-yard speed ended Kentucky’s hopes.

“Deep room, and we have purchased some younger guys in there who are essentially impartial appropriate, too,” Vols coach Josh Heupel told ESPN after the game. “They’re gorgeous, they’re aggressive, they speed laborious, attain a gargantuan job of reading what’s going down on up front. The five bigs were gargantuan tonight, the tight ends were superior and the pass game became once impartial appropriate ample. Became once an very impartial appropriate get hang of.”

Wright finished with 120 rushing yards on factual 11 carries, and Sampson added 115 all-cause yards as Tennessee piled up 481 yards. In case you toss in quarterback Joe Milton III’s handiest game of the 365 days, those are the device for a prime gradual-season get hang of.

Several broad receivers around the nation occupy set up up larger numbers than Ohio Converse’s marvelous Marvin Harrison Jr.

Guys adore LSU’s Malik Nabers, Washington’s Rome Odunze, Missouri’s Luther Burden III and Oregon’s Troy Franklin deserve some consideration for hardware and accolades. However there’s no person higher than Harrison, and that would merely now not factual be at the broad receiver attach.

“I mediate he is the most convenient participant within the nation,” Ohio Converse coach Ryan Day told Fox after Saturday night’s subtle 24-10 get hang of over Wisconsin. “It be laborious attributable to they set up rather a lot consideration on him, but he factual continues to invent plays.”

Harrison added six catches for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Badgers, despite a lot of extra consideration. On his second landing snatch, he went up with both fingers, plucked the ball out of the air, dragged a foot and took a success.

It became once the more or much less play you factual can now not assert. He is particular, and he’ll occupy to get hang of the Biletnikoff Award, which works to the nation’s high pass-catcher. He now has 48 catches for 889 yards and eight ratings up to now this 365 days.

In case you component in precisely how much the Buckeyes offense has been in a transition mode this 365 days with new quarterback Kyle McCord, the added consideration on him with Emeka Egbuka lacking some injury time and other components, there’s an argument to be made he belongs within the Heisman dialog.

Getting attain-it-all working abet TreVeyon Henderson’s explosive play-making ability abet for Saturday became once sizable for Ohio Converse, as he piled up 207 yards from scrimmage, but when he is the home speed hitter, Harrison’s the batting champion.

He is an invaluable celeb.

Shedeur Sanders might merely occupy a laborious time getting up and doing the following day.

The Colorado Buffaloes quarterback has reached warrior standing as gargantuan of a pounding as he has taken this 365 days. So goes the subtle early phases of creating a program, and whereas his dad tries to outfit the Buffs’ roster, the younger Sanders is experiencing the growing danger.

Literally.

Colorado entered Saturday’s game against UCLA 130th within the nation, permitting 35 sacks. They’ll descend within the rankings after Sanders over again took a beating in a 28-16 loss to the Bruins. He became once sacked seven times, and it gave the impact adore he purchased hit so time and over again, his facemask seen as much turf time as his cleats.

It became once worse than the seven sacks cowl, too.

The Bruins—led by Laiatu Latu’s unparalleled relentlessness—completed their game thought of staying in Sanders’ face. Latu is a first-round NFL draft ability, and he played in discovering it irresistible, registering two sacks and causing two more.

Colorado has components. The Buffs are 4-4 and 1-4 within the league. They’ll now not speed the ball effectively, they endure a long way too many penalties, and additionally they set up now not occupy ample playmakers on protection but. However you will be in a feature to’t get hang of games while you will be in a feature to’t give your valuable person quarterback ample time to glance the arena.

All that early-season focus on is dying a gradual, painful death because the components proceed to arise. This 365 days is a sturdy first step, but the Buffs are now not going to get hang of many games with these miscues.

Bolstered by an offensive grasp class of a fourth quarter, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets stormed abet for a 46-42 get hang of over North Carolina. The ACC Network cameras caught timorous Carolina face after timorous Carolina face on the sideline.

However or now not it is laborious to be vexed by the Tar Heels falling flat on their faces defensively, anymore. It be took attach time and time over again all by the Mack Brown period.

This program has loved some halcyon offensive days with Sam Howell and now Drake Maye at the helm, but the protection has fallen woefully within the abet of, and Saturday night in Atlanta became once the most new chapter in an apprehension fable.

The Yellow Jackets scored 22 fourth-quarter aspects and had—(here’s now not a misprint)—246 rushing yards within the fourth quarter alone. Ingredient in Tech quarterback Haynes King’s 287 passing yards and four touchdowns, and also you occupy one other absolute embarrassment of a loss for North Carolina.

For the game, Tech rolled up 635 offensive yards, went 8-of-13 on third-down conversions and piled up 29 first downs. Dontae Smith finished with 178 rushing yards, King added 90 and Jamal Haynes had 80 more.

It be their second consecutive setback against groups that had no industry staying discontinuance. Last week, Virginia beat the Heels, and now the Yellow Jackets evened their fable at 4-4 with a gargantuan-time upset. Coach Brent Key continues to attain more with much less in rebuilding that program.

Meanwhile, Carolina will occupy to maybe descend out of the Top 25 with its second embarrassing loss in a row. There might be now not an excuse for how rotten the protection played but over again.

No longer so manner abet, Arizona became once a assured get hang of and a laughingstock within the Pac-12. However hiring Jedd Fisch continues to cowl because the suitable call.

After a 1-11 season to commence his tenure in 2021, he had the Wildcats up to 5-7 a season ago. Most importantly, he became once recruiting properly and fielded a younger, engaging football team. All the things built to Saturday night, when the Wildcats had a probability to invent a nationwide assertion.

Fisch’s younger team didn’t let that replacement drag by, gorgeous the No. 11 Oregon Converse Beavers 27-24 and staring at their fans storm the arena in a while.

Two of those huge recruiting victories showed up in a prime manner for Fisch against Oregon Converse, as redshirt freshman quarterback Noah Fifita and his ragged Servite (California) Excessive College teammate, Tetairoa McMillan torched the Beavers time and time over again.

Fifita wasn’t precisely a highly rated signal-caller, but despite being undersized at 5’11”, he is been electrifying since taking on for the injured Jayden de Laura. He became once over again against the Beavers, going 25-of-32 for 275 yards and a trio of touchdowns.

McMillan became once a celeb prospect, and he has been a distinction-maker since getting on campus and became once within the supreme get hang of of the Fisch period, catching eight passes for 80 yards and scoring a landing.

Oregon Converse’s resolution to strive and counterfeit a arena impartial at the pinnacle of the major half and coming away with zero aspects loomed orderly, and Arizona took the momentum of being tied at halftime and surged to a ambitious second half to get hang of.

It hasn’t been an in a single day rebuild for Fisch, but the Wildcats for the time being are 5-3 and a fancy out for any individual on their schedule. “Undergo down” is abet.