We’re almost halfway through the college football season! The excitement has not slowed down, and things are heating up in the Border Eight.
Starting in Nebraska, saying that the Huskers played a game might be a bit of an overstatement. The Cornhuskers got blown out at home 45-7 against #2 Michigan. The Wolverines registered just shy of 250 rushing yards and had three different players score on the ground. Nebraska, on the other hand, had barely over 300 total yards, with almost a quarter of those yards being on a 74-yard touchdown run by Joshua Fleeks. Nebraska was down 45-0 at this point.
Iowa was able to bounce back against a struggling Michigan State squad, winning 26-16 to get to 4-1 on the season. Despite registering only 222 total yards, in classic Iowa fashion, it was the defense that stepped up. They picked off Noah Kim three times and did not allow an offensive touchdown. On top of that, they racked up 41 total tackles and a forced fumble.
Illinois had a marquee matchup against Purdue that was projected to be so close that the betting odds were placed at completely even. The betting odds were wrong. Illinois got thumped by the Boilermakers 44-19. While Purdue was only up 16-13 at halftime, three unanswered third quarter touchdowns by Purdue sealed the win to get both of these teams to 2-3.
Northwestern won their first intra-division home game since 2020 last week and were hoping to pull off an upset to keep that train moving. For the first 30 minutes against Penn State, it looked like they might have a shot, as they were tied with the Nittany Lions 10-10 at halftime. However, Penn State made some serious halftime adjustments and outscored the Wildcats 31-3 in the second half to stay perfect on the season and leave Evanston with the 41-13 win.
Louisville won a Friday night grudge match against NC State that moved them to 5-0, their best start since joining the ACC in 2014. Despite Cardinals quarterback Jack Plummer throwing two interceptions, Louisville’s defense picked up the slack . They picked off NC State’s Brennan Armstrong twice as well, forced a fumble and only allowed one touchdown. Despite only scoring one touchdown themselves, the Cardinals managed to pick up the win, 13-10.
Across the state, Kentucky had an incredible day, blowing out #22 Florida 33-14 to extend their win streak over the Gators to three. Ray Davis had a career day finishing with 280 yards on the ground (third most in UK history and three touchdowns. 206 of those yards came in the first half alone. Despite going 25/30 and throwing two touchdowns, an interception and three sacks on Graham Mertz allowed Kentucky to achieve their longest win streak against Florida since 1951.
Down south, Tennessee managed to get their revenge from last year’s 63-38 loss to South Carolina. Even though Joe Milton III threw two interceptions, the Volunteer offense put up 477 total yards and had three different players score rushing touchdowns. On top of that, a pick-six by Kamal Hadden helped them solidify the win over the Gamecocks, 41-20.
Over in Nashville, Vanderbilt got trounced by Mizzou 38-21 in their second straight 17-point loss. After leading 7-3 going into the second quarter, Vanderbilt completely collapsed, allowing Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook to throw for a career-high 395 yards and four touchdowns. The Tigers’ defense also stepped up, picking off Ken Seals once and stopping the Commodores late in the game. The Tigers are 5-0 for the first time since 2013.
Arkansas continued to struggle, as they lost their third straight game to Texas A&M, 34-22. KJ Jefferson threw his fourth interception of the season and barely completed 50% of his passes. On the other hand, Max Johnson went 17/28 and threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns. This is Arkansas’ worst start since 2020, while this is Texas A&M’s best start since 2020.
In the Big 12, Oklahoma had another spectacular day on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Sooners racked up over 500 yards and five touchdowns while Dillon Gabriel had a clean day throwing the ball . Defensively, OU scored both a safety and a touchdown, picked off Iowa State’s Rocco Becht twice and shut out the Cyclones in the second half. Iowa State falls to 2-3 on the year, while Oklahoma is 5-0 as they prepare to face off against 5-0 Texas.
That same Texas team got to 5-0 after blowing out previously undefeated Kansas. The Jayhawks were ranked #24,were 4-0 and were hoping to come out of Austin with a second straight win, but since their upset of Texas in 2021, the Jayhawks have been outscored by the Longhorns by a combined score of 95-28. Jason Bean got the start and was only able to complete nine passes for 136 yards. The rushing game did not do much better, as they were only able to rush for 124 yards. The defense also did not have a good day, as they let up 661 total yards and five touchdowns.
Kansas State and Oklahoma State both had bye weeks as they get ready to face each other this upcoming Friday.
In the Group of Five, Northern Illinois lost their fourth straight game, but fought valiantly against the reigning MAC champions in Toledo. Both quarterbacks had solid days, as they completed at least 67% of their passes, threw for at least 200 yards and two touchdown passes with no interceptions. NIU fought hard, but never got the lead. A failed two-point conversion after a touchdown with 9:14 left would ultimately be the dagger, as they would lose 35-33.
In Conference USA, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State faced off in 100 Miles of Hate in a primetime Thursday night game. Western Kentucky dominated, winning 31-10 . Both quarterbacks had at least 45 passing attempts, but Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed had two touchdown passes and one interception, while MTSU’s Nicholas Vattiato threw two interceptions and did not find the end zone once.
A few states away on that same night, Tulsa blew out Temple, 48-26. Cardell Williams had an amazing day for the Golden Hurricane, as he was both their leading rusher and passer, going 14/17 in the air with 244 yards and three touchdowns as well as 90 yards on the ground with a touchdown. He was not the only workhorse on the ground, as two other players had at least 50 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, they held the Owls to 313 yards as well as an interception and a fumble recovery.
Memphis bounced back after a loss to Mizzou beating Boise State, 35-32. The Broncos quickly raced out to a 17-0 lead before the wheels fell off. Memphis scored three straight touchdowns to take the lead and never looked back. They would tack on another before Boise State would score again to make it 28-25. Memphis would score one more late to get their fourth win on the season.
In the Sun Belt, Arkansas State strung together their longest win streak since 2019 by winning their third straight of the season over UMass, 52-28. Jaylon Raynor scored nearly one in every three times he completed a pass going, 20/25 with six touchdown passes. Defensively, they had an interception and only allowed three touchdowns.
Border Eight Rankings, Week 5
- Oklahoma (5-0) (2-0)
- Louisville (5-0) (0-0)
- Kentucky (5-0) (0-0)
- Iowa (4-1) (1-0)
- Kansas (4-1) (1-0)
- Memphis (4-1) (1-0)
- Tennessee (4-1) (0-0)
- Kansas State (3-1) (0-0)
- Western Kentucky (3-2) (1-0)
- Tulsa (3-2) (1-1)
- Arkansas State (3-2) (0-2)
- Oklahoma State (2-2) (0-1)
- Nebraska (2-3) (1-0)
- Arkansas (2-3) (0-0)
- Northwestern (2-3) (0-0)
- Iowa State (2-3) (1-2)
- Illinois (2-3) (0-1)
- Vanderbilt (2-4) (0-1)
- Middle Tennessee State (1-4) (0-1)
- Northern Illinois (1-4) (0-2)