By: Joe Cumberland (@punterjoe)
Defending Champs Flex Muscle
After a Week 2 setback against Auburn, defending national champions USC got back on track. A cross-country trip to Miami gave the Trojans a boost of confidence as they flexed in a 34-31 victory against a very good Hurricanes team. The win gives the Trojans a 2-1 record before conference play starts. It also gives USC a 3-0 record versus Miami.
The Trojan offense used a nearly balanced attack to rack up 502 total yards of offense. They were protective of the ball, not committing a turnover in the game. In addition, the Trojans did not allow a sack or penalty. QB Jamesyn Golde had a highly accurate outing as he went 29/35 to account for 336 yards through the air and a pair of touchdowns. The junior QB also added a score on the ground. RB Dash Delano crossed over 100 yards, 109 to be exact, on 22 carries. Jamarcus Simpson III continued his string of good games. The senior wideout amassed 178 yards and two touchdowns on just eight catches, a 64-yard grab being one of the game’s explosive plays. After three weeks of action, Simpson finds himself leading the CFSL in both receptions and yards.
Don’t Overlook The Spartans
Michigan State was the only Big10 team to play on home grass in Week 3. Many predicted an Oklahoma Sooner victory. The Spartans came into the game with a 1-1 record, having lost by a point to Virginia Tech in Week 2. When the final horn sounded it was a 51-30 win for the Spartans and AD Antonio McDaniel. Michigan State finished out of conference play with a 2-1 record. As Big10 play begins, the Spartans have shown that they need to be mentioned when discussing, not only playoff potential; but championship potential teams as well.
Boasting the CFSL’s best 3rd down-converting offense and 5th best in points per game, the Spartans had another big night moving the ball. In particular, it was junior signal caller Cole Mantell who accounted for 441 of the Spartans’ 487 yards. He threw for 431 on 36 of 56 attempts. His 10 yards on the ground were highlighted by a pair of rushing touchdowns. 8 different Spartans got in on the action catching a pass. WR Arnez Gray led the way with 8 grabs for 80 yards.
Like Big10 rival USC, the Spartans like to take the ball away from opposing offenses. Michigan State finds themselves #3 in the league in takeaways. They forced 4 Sooner turnovers and allowed just a 30% conversion rate on 3rd downs while sacking the Oklahoma QB 5 times. Spartan safeties led the way with Chucky Charles and Pierre Eldridge each having 8 tackles and an interception. Tomlin Bettis added 7 stops, 2 being for a loss, from his LB position. Joe Bady also grabbed an interception and returned it for a score, it was the corner’s 3rd of the season, tying him for the league lead.
Buckeyes Continue Red Hot Streak in Bluegrass State
You know the old saying: “We don’t rebuild, we reload”? That is certainly the case around Ohio State these days. The Buckeyes came into week 3 with a 2-0 record after losing a ton of talent last season. They’ll finish out of conference play with a perfect mark at 3-0 after going to Lexington and beating the Wildcats 47-41. It was just the second meeting between the 2 schools.
It was Kentucky who set the pace offensively in this contest. The Buckeyes, however, answered when and how needed for the length of the contest. Junior QB Jaylen Tyree had a gem of a game, Player of the Week type numbers. Incredibly accurate at 44 of 51 attempts for 484 yards and a stellar 5 touchdowns. A 72-yard pass to Eden Ballard was the highlight reel play of the night for the Buckeye leader. Ballard would finish with 6 catches for 147 yards and that score. Tight End John Don pulled off the hat trick by scoring 3 times. His 7 catches were good for 112 yards.
Perhaps the play that won the game for Ohio State, and quite possibly the play of the game, was made by cornerback Garrett Pemberton who returned an intercepted Wildcat pass some 82 yards for the score. Safeties Jeremy Schultz and Benjamin Carter had 8 tackles each, as did LB Mason Davis. DE Jesse Stork added another sack, keeping him among the CFSL leaders in that statistic.
Big10 Week 3 Results
Ohio State defeats Kentucky 47-41
Penn State loses to Texas 24-30
Michigan Loses to Clemson 41-58
Michigan State defeats Oklahoma 51-30
USC defeats Miami 34-31
Oregon loses to Notre Dame 31-43
Big10 finished 3-3 in OOC play for week 3 and 10-8 overall.
Big10 Week 4 Schedule
01/27 8:30 pm USC @ Michigan State
01/28 6:30 pm Penn State@ Ohio State
01/28 8:30 pm Oregon @ Michigan
Big10 Game of the Week
USC Trojans traveling to take on the Michigan State Spartans. This is not only the Game of the Week in the Big10, but perhaps all of CFSL. Both teams enter the contest at 2-1 and the Spartans would love to show they are true contenders by taking out the season 21 national champions. Both teams rank among the best in the league in takeaways, I’d bet whoever wins that battle ultimately wins the game.
