Week 5 of college football rolled in with all the October drama we could ask for, and man, did it deliver. James Franklin’s “fresh start” at Virginia Tech just took a gut punch that felt awfully familiar, losing 35-33 at home to Pittsburgh after a wild, back-and-forth game that included a game-winning field goal that looked *good* but was ruled *not good*. Talk about a heartbreaker for the Hokies.
That Franklin Deja Vu Is Hitting Hard
Virginia Tech came out swinging, absolutely flying to a 14-0 lead in less than five minutes. You’re thinking, “Okay, this is it, the new era is officially here.” But then the wheels started to wobble, and despite Pitt losing their starting QB Mason Heintschel, who’s been crushing it early this season, the Hokies just couldn’t seal the deal. It all came down to that final field goal attempt from John Love. From some angles, it looked like it cleared the uprights, but the refs said no dice. Pitt walked away with the W, and Franklin was left staring at a scene eerily similar to his past big-moment struggles at Penn State. What a brutal way to lose, right? Giving up a big lead, then a last-second kick controversy. You just hate to see it.
Northwestern’s $875 Million Statement Game
While Franklin was reeling, Northwestern was popping champagne corks. On Friday night, they unveiled the brand-spanking-new Ryan Field, a state-of-the-art 35,000-seat stadium that set them back a cool $875 million. And what a debut it was! With Chip Kelly calling the shots, the Wildcats absolutely throttled Penn State 34-13. They put up over 506 yards of total offense, and get this: 413 of those came on the ground! That’s not just running the ball, that’s steamrolling the Nittany Lions. Head coach David Braun just got an extension, and this performance, this absolute mauling, sends a clear message to the rest of the Big Ten: Northwestern is here, and if they can run it like that against teams like Penn State, their upcoming schedule against Oregon, Ohio State, and Iowa is going to be *very* interesting. They’re going to be a factor.
Kamario Taylor’s Heisman Hopes Just Took a Detour
It was a rough weekend for some of college football’s brightest stars, too. Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor, who’d been getting serious Heisman buzz through September, hit a major snag in a 56-23 loss to Alabama. Look, the guy still made dazzling throws and accounted for three touchdowns, even if he wasn’t 100 percent healthy. But three turnovers, including an early fumble and a pick-six, dug his team into a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Things got so out of hand in the second half that Taylor even left the game with an apparent injury. This loss doesn’t completely erase him from the Heisman conversation, but it’s a huge setback. Especially with road games at LSU, Texas, and Ole Miss still on the docket. He’ll have chances to bounce back, but that’s a tough road ahead for his Heisman campaign.
Week 5 showed us that October college football is no joke. The stakes are getting wild, and every snap matters. What a weekend.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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