Week 5 of college football was an absolute roller coaster, with early season darlings Florida and Mississippi State getting absolutely clobbered by Missouri and Alabama, shaking up the entire Top 25. But that wasn’t even the biggest gut punch of the weekend.
The Ducks Take a HUGE Hit, Iowa Gets Torched
Oregon took a massive hit that could impact their entire season. Their starting quarterback, Dante Moore, was carted off the field and taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital after taking a late hit to the head in their win over USC. Talk about a sickening sight! The Ducks’ bye week is well-timed, but with a Week 2 loss to Oklahoma State already on the books, seeing backup Dylan Raiola under center against UCLA could be rough. Slipping to 3-2 on the year would be a crushing blow to their already dinged College Football Playoff hopes. It’s rough, man.
Then there’s Iowa. Their defense, after being stout and allowing only 32 total points through their first four games, was absolutely shredded by Ohio State in a 31-14 loss. Jeremiah Smith went off for 11 catches, 206 yards, and two scores, making their secondary look completely lost. Giving up 324 passing yards, 160 rushing yards, and 25 first downs? Yikes. Ohio State fully capitalized on Iowa’s two turnovers, turning them into touchdowns.
Boise State Flying, Pitt Surviving, and Oklahoma State’s Turnover Problem
Boise State looked legit in their 37-18 victory over Utah State. They jumped out to a 21-0 lead with touchdowns on each of their first three drives. Maddux Madsen (17/21, 244 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) and Dylan Riley (18 carries, 93 yards, 2 TD) were balling out. Their defense was a beast, too, tallying nine tackles for loss, six sacks, one takeaway, and a pick six. After their Week 1 loss to Oregon, these guys are looking more and more like they could run the table the rest of the way.
Pittsburgh, picked to finish way down in the ACC preseason poll, is somehow 5-0! They beat Virginia Tech 35-33, but it wasn’t pretty. They survived thanks to four Virginia Tech turnovers and a missed field goal as time expired. And their quarterback, Mason Heintschel, went down with an injury early in the second half, later seen on crutches. Backup Holden Gernier (8/12, 78 yards, 1 TD) stepped up to pilot the go-ahead touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. Talk about a gritty, chaotic win.
Oklahoma State, after that head-scratcher against Tulsa to start the year, has bounced back with big wins over then-No. 6 Oregon and previously undefeated West Virginia. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker is slinging it, leading the Big 12 in passing yards (1,271) and touchdowns (11), but he’s also got five interceptions. Eight turnovers to four takeaways through four games? That’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Meanwhile, Nebraska is off to their best start since 2016 after rolling over Maryland 48-23.
So, what’s next? Iowa has to regroup after getting their defense embarrassed, and guess who they play next? Our own Washington Huskies. That’s gonna be a big test for both teams. Meanwhile, Oregon’s got UCLA coming up, and with their starting QB out, that game is suddenly massive for their postseason dreams. This college football season is already delivering the drama, folks, and Week 6 is only gonna get wilder!
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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