Oct 09, 2017

Big Ten & SEC Week 6 Recap: Wisconsin Rolls, Michigan Slips and LSU tops UF

Standings and Results

Big Ten

SEC

AP Top 10

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Penn State
4. Georgia
5. Washington
6. TCU
7. Wisconsin
8. Washington State
9. Ohio State
10. Auburn

The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy

Michigan State held on to an early lead to knock off the Michigan Wolverines 14-10 in a rainy and windy primetime game. With the road win, the Spartans regained possession of the Paul Bunyan Trophy, which the two teams have played for since 1953.

The Spartans defense stifled the Michigan offense all night, causing three interceptions and two fumbles, while their only giveaway came on a turnover on downs in Michigan territory. Michigan State took advantage of its strong defensive play from the get-go, turning an early fumble into a short touchdown drive to take a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, a lead they would not relinquish.

After taking a 14-3 lead into halftime, the Spartans offense didn’t produce a second-half first down until their final drive of the evening, with under three minutes remaining in the game. As a result of MSU’s own anemic offense, Michigan ultimately outgained its neighbors to the north, 300-252, but John O’Korn’s 37-yard pass into the end zone was knocked away as time expired, securing the win for Sparty.

The win was Michigan State’s eighth in the past 10 meetings, their best stretch in the series since the Spartans went 14-4 between 1950-1969. The win also moved them to 20-1 under Mark Dantonio when they have a turnover margin of +3 or better.

Alabama Hangs On Against Texas A&M

The Crimson Tide traveled to College Station to take on the Aggies in the SEC’s largest stadium, and ultimately found themselves in their tightest game yet, escaping Kyle Field with a 27-19 victory.

After taking a 24-3 lead on the first drive of the second half, Alabama looked to be well on its way to another blowout win, but a Texas A&M touchdown and safety closed the gap to just 12 with 10 minutes left to play.  The touchdown came from human highlight machine Christian Kirk, who managed to keep his feet in bounds as he stretched out in the end zone to catch Kellen Mond’s delivery after Mond did his best Johnny Manziel impression to keep the play alive.

Even more amazing than that catch was the fact that Alabama turned the ball over — the Tide’s first since last November!

On (the road) Wisconsin!

The Badgers went into one of football’s toughest road venues and came out three-score victors, using a 21-point second half to knock off Nebraska in Lincoln, 38-17. Until Saturday night, Nebraska had not lost at home in primetime since 2008.

After Wisconsin jumped out to a 10-0 leda, Stanley Morgan Jr. took a Tanner Lee pass 80 yards to get the Cornhuskers on the board before Johnathan Taylor responded with a 75-yard rush on the first play of the ensuing drive to put the Badgers back up by 10. Nebraska was able to cut the deficit to 17-10 before the half and tied the score at 17-17 early in the third, but Wisconsin closed the game on a 21-0 run to seal the win.

A freshman, Taylor finished with 249 yards on the day, his second 200-yard game this season. That put him in some pretty good company in Wisconsin history.

Overall, the Badgers allowed just 68 yards to the Cornhuskers offense in the second half — Nebraska’s touchdown came on a pick six. Through five games, the Wisconsin defense has allowed just 14 points in the second half all season, with both touchdowns coming in the fourth quarter in last week’s victory over Northwestern.

A Heartbreaker in Gainesville

The Florida Gators fell to LSU in heartbreaking fashion on the day the university honored late Gainesville native Tom Petty. After trailing 17-3 early in the third quarter, the Gators scored on back-to-back drives courtesy of a pair of Lamical Perine rushing touchdowns. Following the second Perine touchdown, kicker Eddie Pineiro came on for the extra point to tie the game.

As Gators coach Jim McElwain said after the game, “This is why they don’t give you the automatic point“…

The Gators and Tigers played to a scoreless fourth quarter, allowing the Tigers to escape with a much-needed win following tough losses at home each of the past two weeks. The coolest moment of the game may have come between the third and fourth quarters, when the loudspeakers in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium played Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ hit, “I Won’t Back Down,” with the entire Swamp singing along.

If you haven’t already seen the video, take a look below and get all the feels.

Despite the loss, the Gators set an NCAA record, scoring in their 366th straight game, passing Michigan’s 365-game streak from 1984-2014.

The Growing Wave

As we spotlighted in our Week 1 Recap and in last week’s recap, one of the newest and best college football traditions comes after the first quarter of Iowa home football games, when the entire stadium turns and waves to the children watching on from high above Kinnick Stadium, at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

This week the Iowa Band got in on the action and choreographed a wave facing the hospital to join the fans, players, coaches and referees waving themselves.

Team Selection Committee Recap

The Florida Citrus Sports held its third meeting of the 2017-18 season Monday morning at Camping World Stadium — the first in the newly-remodeled Varsity Club — and after six weeks of memorable college football action and dozens of campus visits already logged this year, there were more than a few exciting stories to go around. READ MORE >>>

Play of the Week

Week 6 was filled with several impressive plays, we picked two of our favorites and want to see which one our readers thought was more impressive. Take a look at each and cast your vote.

1) Maryland’s Ty Johnson takes kickoff 100 yards to the house to cut Ohio State’s lead in half.

2) LSU’s Russell Gage hurdles a Florida defensive player for a first down and more during the first quarter of their 17-16 victory in the Swamp.

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