HIGH-POWERED OFFENSES CLASH AS NO. 21 NOTRE DAME FACES BOISE STATE
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson knows his team might need some time to absorb its first trip to Notre Dame Stadium.
Danielson feels the same way as his players. That is why he is going to lead a tour of the stadium one day before Boise State (3-1) kicks off against No. 21 Notre Dame (2-2) on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
“As a football fan, which we all are, and even me growing up in Southern California, Notre Dame’s a team that you watch consistently year in and year out,” Danielson said. “I mean, from ‘Rudy’ to South Bend to Touchdown Jesus, there’s so much amazing history tied to Notre Dame. And I’ve never been there. I’m fired up as a coach. …
“And so, we’re going to be able to see the stadium the day before and go through it. Because I want, by the time we get to kickoff, it’s time to go play football. They’ve got really good players. I believe in our players, too.”
The Broncos will look for the upset win after tallying three wins in a row against Eastern Washington, Air Force and Appalachian State. Boise State’s lone loss so far this season was on Aug. 28 at South Florida.
Notre Dame is seeking its third win in a row after knocking off Purdue and Arkansas in back-to-back weeks. The Fighting Irish scored 56 points in each of the past two games.
A big reason for the offensive surge is the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr. He has passed for 1,091 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions through his first four starts.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman praised Carr for playing so well so early in his career.
“It’s rare to be a second-year college football player playing in your fifth (career) game and performing at a level he’s performing at,” Freeman said. “It’s rare. But I think CJ Carr is rare.
“He has this unique trait that very few people have. He is … a competitive, selfless individual. It’s not about CJ Carr. He’s not so competitive that, ‘I want to be able to throw for this amount.’ It’s like, ‘Whatever we’ve got to do to win.’”
Carr is helped by the potent one-two rushing attack of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Love has rushed for 341 yards and five touchdowns, and Price has produced 273 yards and six TDs on the ground.
Boise State also has thrived on offense, as it has scored 47-plus points in its last three games.
Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen has passed for 1,129 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. His top receiver, Latrell Caples, has 240 receiving yards and two scores.
Boise State also leans heavily on the run. Three players have figured prominently into the rushing attack, including Dylan Riley (360 yards, 5 TDs), Sire Gaines (245 yards, 1 TD) and Malik Sherrod (198 yards, 2 TDs).
Freeman acknowledged it will be a challenge to slow Boise State’s ground game.
“They’re going to keep fresh guys in there and make you stop the run,” he said. “We have to understand that. … We’ve got to be aggressive, and we’ve got to tackle well because those running backs, if you miss them, they’ll go the distance.”
NO. 16 VANDERBILT CONFIDENT, HOPING FOR ‘FUN TIME’ AT NO. 10 ALABAMA
Diego Pavia delivered Vanderbilt’s biggest victory ever when he guided the Commodores past then-No. 1 Alabama last season in a monumental upset.
Pavia’s next task is producing another mammoth triumph in the rematch to continue the program’s best start since 2008.
Pavia looks to excel once again when No. 16 Vanderbilt faces the No. 10 Crimson Tide in a highly anticipated Southeastern Conference contest on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Last season, Pavia completed 16 of 20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns as the Commodores earned a 40-35 win in Nashville for the program’s first-ever win against a top-five program. It also was Vanderbilt’s first win against Alabama since 1984 to end a 23-game skid against the Crimson Tide.
So when the Commodores (5-0, 1-0 SEC) appear in town this weekend, they are no longer viewed as the pushover team that the Crimson Tide typically clobber.
Pavia is looking forward to experiencing the environment.
“Tuscaloosa will be a good, fun time,” Pavia said. “I’ve never played there. I think a few of the guys have been there. This is what you come into the SEC for, big games like this. We’ll be real excited to go down there and check them out.”
Last season, Alabama (3-1, 1-0) couldn’t prevent Vanderbilt from hogging the ball.
The Commodores converted 12 of 18 third-down opportunities and controlled the ball for 42 minutes and eight seconds.
Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer hasn’t forgotten the details and knows Vanderbilt is an even better team this year in Clark Lea’s fifth season at the helm.
“We’re going to need everything (we’ve) got against a very good Vanderbilt team coming up here on Saturday,” DeBoer said. “Coach Lea, a ton of respect for him. I’ve known him for a long time. I knew a year ago, you could see and feel the positive movement that they had inside the program. You could see the style of play, it being team football.
“They continue to do that — 5-0, a ranked opponent coming into our house. Just got to continue to keep the focus on us.”
Alabama has won three straight games after producing a 24-21 victory at then-No. 5 Georgia last weekend.
Ty Simpson passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score as he continued his fine season. Simpson hasn’t been intercepted and is completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 1,138 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Simpson said his squad is taking a “Crimson Tide against the world” approach.
“That’s the kind of mentality that we have to have throughout the season,” Simpson said. “It’s Alabama against everybody.”
Vanderbilt is coming off a 55-35 home win over Utah State. Pavia tied the school record of five touchdown passes and topped 300 yards — he had 321 — for the first time in his two seasons at the school.
Pavia is completing 74.6 percent of his passes for 1,211 yards and 13 touchdowns against three interceptions. He also has rushed for 294 yards and two scores.
Pavia will long be remembered at Vanderbilt for the epic victory over Alabama in 2024. Now the Commodores are itching for another chance to beat the Crimson Tide.
“We know the task at hand, but we’re excited for it,” said Lea, “and this group has positioned us to be undefeated heading down there, and that means a lot.”
MINNESOTA SEARCHES FOR CRACKS IN NO. 1 OHIO STATE’S ROCK-SOLID DEFENSE
Drake Lindsey didn’t play like a redshirt freshman quarterback when he led Minnesota on the game-winning drive against Rutgers last weekend.
His 324 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air earned him Big Ten freshman of the week honors, but coach P.J. Fleck knows the Golden Gophers (3-1, 1-0) will have to play at a much higher level when they visit No. 1 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday night in a conference game in Columbus, Ohio.
It doesn’t help that Fleck’s young signal-caller will not only face one of the best defenses in the nation, but also an intimidating atmosphere at Ohio Stadium.
“That place is 107,000 fans, and it’s deafening, and that’s for a noon kickoff, or an 11 a.m. (Central), let alone all of them doing what they do, tailgating all day and being ready for the night game that the fans have asked for,” Fleck said. “So we know we’re walking into a really hostile environment.”
The Buckeyes are coming off a 24-6 win at Washington in which the two field goals by the Huskies actually raised (slightly) Ohio State’s points allowed to an average of 5.5 — still good enough to lead the nation. The Huskies had been averaging 55.5 points.
Opponents have scored just two touchdowns against Ohio State: Texas in the opener and Ohio in the third game.
The Buckeyes defense is led by the law-office-sounding tandem of Caden and Kayden. Caden Curry totaled 11 tackles with five tackles for loss — tying the Ohio State record for a game — and three sacks at Washington. Kayden McDonald made seven tackles with three TFLs and two sacks.
“Caden is somebody who has played a lot of football here, special teams-wise and has made a lot of plays. Now he’s a key contributor,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.
The Golden Gophers might be without running back Darius Taylor, who has missed the past two games because of an injury. He is 54 yards shy of becoming the 18th player in program history to run for 2,000 yards.
Fleck on Monday was evasive on Taylor’s status, who has been listed as “doubtful” for previous games.
“I’m sure there’ll be another report this week,” the coach said. “Whatever adjective you want to describe him this week, feel free. But two hours before kickoff, we’ll know. There’s one Darius Taylor, and when Darius Taylor goes down, I think that does impact your offense.”
While the Ohio State defense has been superb, the offense with first-year starter Julian Sayin is still evolving. Day and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline took a conservative approach for Sayin in his first road last weekend but expect more aggression in front of the home fans.
Sayin threw for 208 yards and two TDs against the Huskies, but his longest completion was just 19 yards to Jeremiah Smith with 1:52 left in the game.
Day still likes the way his team is progressing.
“You’re seeing maturity,” he said. “There’s no way to see it other than that. … To play the way that we’ve played up to this point shows maturity, and that was a big emphasis point for us this summer.”
NO. 22 ILLINOIS BRINGS HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE INTO PURDUE SHOWDOWN
Even with a high-profile hiccup, No. 22 Illinois keeps clicking behind an explosive offense entering Saturday afternoon’s game against Big Ten Conference rival Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
The Fighting Illini (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) are averaging 35.8 points a game, and yes, that includes the 63-10 loss in its conference opener at then-No. 19 Indiana on Sept. 20.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer rallied to rebound last week, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors in a 34-32 home win against then-No. 21 Southern California, passing for 328 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for one TD and even catching a scoring pass.
Altmyer’s 11 touchdown passes are tied for ninth-best in the country.
While wideout Hank Beatty has been splashy as the nation’s only player with passing, rushing, receiving and punt-return TDs, Justin Bowick is tops on the team with four touchdown receptions.
Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney said he thinks the 6-foot-4 Bowick’s size will be a concern for Purdue and going forward. A Ball State transfer, Bowick was limited to 20 receptions and three TDs last season due to injury. He began his collegiate career at Eastern Illinois.
“He’s a threat no matter where he’s at; he’s a good football player, and he’s going to continue to play for us and make an impact in games,” Lunney said. “But obviously, he’s done a great job with his opportunities. … J-Bo, he’s been a nice threat for us.”
Purdue (2-2, 0-1), meanwhile, is coming off a bye week in which it sought to make bygones out of the past two games.
During a 33-17 home loss to Southern Cal on Sept. 13 and a 56-30 defeat at then-No. 24 Notre Dame a week later, the Purdue defense yielded 32 plays of at least 10 yards. That included 11 plays of more than 20 yards.
Meanwhile, Purdue’s offense averaged only 2.3 yards per carry in those defeats and is averaging just 3.1 this season.
“It gave us a lot of time to sit back and really, truly evaluate,” Boilermakers defensive coordinator Mike Scherer said. “No one’s feelings are getting hurt. Nothing like that. There’s no egos, there’s no nothing. We look at it and say, ‘OK, here’s what’s been good, here’s what’s been bad. How do we move forward and play better?’”
Purdue will aim to ramp up the pressure against Altmyer and the Illinois attack. Defensive back Myles Slusher recorded Purdue’s lone sack at Notre Dame as the defense generated just two tackles for loss.
Offensively, the Boilermakers showed some pizzazz, as quarterback Ryan Browne caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Devin Mockobee in addition to throwing for 250 yards and a score against Notre Dame.
“I think where he’s at, I think he’s playing really well,” Purdue coach Barry Odom said of Browne. “I think he can play better. Ryan will tell you that, too.”
Purdue leads the all-time series 48-46-6, but Illinois boasts recent bragging rights after earning a 50-49 overtime victory at home last season. Altmyer passed for a career-best 379 yards while accounting for four total touchdowns, including three through the air.
NO. 18 FLORIDA STATE’S STELLAR OFFENSE MEETS NO. 3 MIAMI’S TOUGH D
For the first five weeks of the season, No. 3 Miami did not have to leave home.
The Hurricanes played their first four games at home and were on bye last weekend. Miami finally hits the road for a high-stakes rivalry in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener versus No. 18 Florida State on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.
The contest was on track to be a top-10 clash before the Seminoles (3-1, 0-1 ACC) stubbed their toe in a 46-38 double-overtime loss at Virginia last week.
Still, it will be the first time these teams face off while both ranked since 2016. The two programs, which have won a combined eight national titles since 1983, have traded off successful seasons over past the eight years.
“We always knew this as the best rivalry in football,” said Miami coach Mario Cristobal, who played for the Hurricanes from 1989-92.
While Florida State limps into this game off an upset defeat, Cristobal knows not to take the Seminoles lightly — not after what they did to then-No. 8 Alabama in a resounding 31-17 win to begin the season.
“Getting ready for a very talented, physical and well-coached Florida State team that is playing at a high level,” Cristobal said. “Statistically in the top 10 in just about every meaningful category.”
That’s certainly true with regard to Florida State’s offense. Even after the loss, the Seminoles still lead the nation in scoring offense (53.0 points per game) and total offense (600.0 yards).
While those yardage numbers certainly are skewed by games against East Texas A&M and Kent State, Florida State still managed 514 total yards in the loss to the Cavaliers. The Seminoles have surpassed the 500-yard mark in three straight games for the first time since 2013.
The defense, though, took a sizable step back at Virginia. After the Seminoles began the season by holding Alabama to 341 yards of offense, 87 rushing yards and 17 points, Virginia gouged Florida State’s defense to the tune of 440 yards, 211 rushing yards and six touchdowns, twice as many as the team allowed in its first three games combined.
“Just way too many little errors,” Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White said. “Got to go back through and adjust during the week and make sure that we get that shored up, because we’re going to see that again.”
The Seminoles will be facing a more talented offense this week as the Hurricanes come to town. While Miami (4-0, 0-0) hasn’t put up similarly gaudy numbers, the Hurricanes’ offense has been quite effective in wins over then-No. 6 Notre Dame, then-No. 18 South Florida and two weeks ago vs. Florida.
Aided by a strong offensive line and a talented, deep pool of skill-position talent, new Miami quarterback Carson Beck has guided the offense well, completing 73.2 percent of his passes for 972 yards, seven TDs and three interceptions.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell has first-hand familiarity with Beck from the QB’s time at Georgia, when Beck led the Bulldogs to a 63-3 demolition of a depleted Seminoles squad in the Orange Bowl at the end of the 2023 season.
“You can see that here in Miami he’s feeling very comfortable with what they’re asking him to do and what they’ve been able to accomplish here in the early part of the season,” Norvell said of Beck.
Miami’s defense, which leads the ACC in opponents’ scoring (11.5 points per game) and total yardage allowed (244.5 per game), will also serve as quite a test for Florida State’s potent offense.
MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN CLASH FEATURES TEAMS HEADED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
Michigan had a bye week before Saturday’s Big Ten matchup with Wisconsin in Ann Arbor. Head coach Sherrone Moore is returning from a longer break.
Moore served a two-game suspension for his involvement in the program’s sign-stealing scandal. The No. 20 Wolverines (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) did just fine under associate head coach Biff Poggi, clobbering Central Michigan by 60 points and collecting a three-point road victory over Nebraska in their conference opener.
“Just appreciate him greatly for handling it the way he did,” Moore said.
The bye allowed Michigan to rest up for the Badgers (2-2, 0-1), who lost their last two games and also had last weekend off.
“I feel really good about where we are,” Moore said. “That was the number one goal this week — to get guys healthy, get guys back.”
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood hasn’t put up big passing numbers thus far, mostly because the running game has worked well. The Wolverines rushed for 286 yards and three touchdowns against the Cornhuskers, including 61 yards and a score from Underwood.
Alabama transfer Justice Haynes has been the team’s breakout star, averaging 8.1 yards per carry while reaching the end zone six times.
The Wolverines will be challenged by a Badgers rushing defense that has allowed just 50 yards per game and 2.1 yards per carry.
“They’re number one in the country. So they’re stout,” Moore said. “They’re big and stout up front. They’ve got guys that have played a lot of football, and they’ve got hard edges.”
Michigan may need to rely more on Underwood’s arm. So far, the highly touted prospect has completed just 56.9 percent of his attempts, but he’s also avoided trouble (one interception).
“The quarterbacks that have the ability to beat you with their arms and their legs are something that always makes it difficult,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “And even for a younger guy that has a lot of poise, a guy that has some weapons around him, he hasn’t overdone it. That’s the thing that I would say is impressive.”
The Wolverines defense has recorded 14 sacks in four games. They’ll be chasing either Danny O’Neil, Billy Edwards Jr. or Hunter Simmons on Saturday.
O’Neil, a San Diego State transfer, has completed 70.6 percent of his passes but he’s also been picked off five times. Simmons threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in a 27-10 loss to Maryland in Wisconsin’s last outing.
The Badgers’ traditionally powerful rushing attack hasn’t shown much pop. Their leading rusher, Dilin Jones, has gained just 154 yards. Overall, Wisconsin is averaging 3.1 yards per carry.
Fickell needs a big win to quiet his detractors. The Badgers are 15-15 during his two-plus seasons as their head coach.
“We got an opportunity to look ourselves in the face and figure out some things that we need to do a lot better — along with giving some guys an opportunity to hopefully get some of these, not to say minor injuries, but things that can heal up within a week or two and an opportunity maybe to heal up,” Fickell said. “So I think all those things combined together gave us a good opportunity to use the bye in the best way possible.”
