There were plenty of great games on offer this weekend, with the Alabama-Georgia game being the pick of the bunch. Several top names in the 2021 Draft had big days and the likes of Zach Wilson at BYU boosted his draft stock with an important win over Houston.
There were some big upsets too, with four of the Top 25 losing to unranked teams. Florida State’s surprise 31-28 win over Sam Howell and UNC was certainly the best of the lot. Here are some of the winners and losers from Week 7.
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Winners
Florida State
With the appointment of Mike Norvell this offseason, expectations were high for the Seminoles. In reality the season couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start as they collapsed in their opener to Georgia Tech and were then destroyed by Miami in a 52-10 defeat. They looked to have no chance against No. 5 UNC but they delivered the upset of the week with their 31-28 win.
Norvell was known for his running game in Memphis and it really showed here. FSU put up 241 rushing yards, with sophomore Ladamian Webb averaging 9.1 yards per carry on his way to his first ever 100 yard game. The decision to start redshirt sophomore Jordan Travis at quarterback for the last couple of weeks has been an inspired decision. Despite completing just eight passes all game he caused tonnes of problems for the Tar Heels on the ground, with over 100 yards and two rushing touchdowns. It is too soon to be sure but maybe things are finally turning around for the Seminoles.
Alabama’s receivers
The Georgia-Alabama game was clearly this week’s main attraction and it didn’t fail to deliver. There was plenty of action on both sides of the ball but some of the biggest winners of the night were Alabama’s receivers. Jaylen Waddle had six catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. In doing so he became the first SEC player to start a season with four 100+ yard games since Amari Cooper in 2014.
Devonta Smith was no slouch either and finished the game with 11 catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Both players solidified their status as sure-fire first rounders when the 2021 Draft rolls around. Even sophomore wideout John Metchie contributed against a talented Georgia secondary, with three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown and he is definitely one to watch for the future.
Zach Wilson
Wilson has been receiving a tonne of hype over recent weeks and has seemingly come from nowhere to being considered one of the top quarterbacks in this draft. This weekend was his biggest test yet as BYU faced Houston and he didn’t disappoint. He finished the game 25 of 35 for 400 yards and four touchdowns, leading BYU to their first 5-0 start since 2008.
Wilson looked really comfortable in this one and started well, throwing a 78 yard bomb to Dax Milne on BYU’s first play of the game. One thing that stood out was his ability to make NFL-style throws and he was excellent at throwing deep balls outside the numbers and out routes to the far side of the field. His ability as a runner caused problems too, with two 20+ yard scrambles. If he can continue like this for the rest of the season he will definitely enter first round consideration.
Arkansas’ defense
The Razorbacks hadn’t had the best start to the season and prior to this weekend their defense hadn’t done much. They turned things around big time this weekend against Ole Miss though, grabbing a 33-21 win. This was their first conference win in two years and their first home conference win since way back in 2016.
They had their defense to thank as they forced six interceptions from Rebels quarterback Matt Corral and scored 24 points off turnovers. Redshirt freshman Hudson Clark got three picks, with Jalen Catalon and Grant Morgan both chipping in with a pick six each. They have two wins already, the same amount as they had in each of their last two campaigns, and they will be hopeful they can continue to impress in 2020.
Losers
Georgia Tech
Nobody realistically expected Georgia Tech to have a chance against Clemson but they failed to deliver on even limited expectations. The game finished 73-7, as the Yellow Jackets suffered the biggest defeat in ACC history. Trevor Lawrence threw for 404 yards and five first half touchdowns, both career-highs.
Clemson sat Lawrence for most of the second half but things didn’t get any better for Georgia Tech as the Tigers put up another 21 unanswered points. They even brought in their punter to play a series at quarterback. Georgia Tech couldn’t stop them at all, allowing 29 first downs and 671 yards. They completed just six passes all game and were shutout after the first quarter. They will hope to turn things around against Boston College next weekend.
K.J. Costello
Costello transferred to Mississippi State to help boost his draft stock after three solid, if unspectacular seasons at Stanford. After so much initial promise, it looks to be over already. Just a few weeks ago he set the SEC alight, breaking the record for single game passing yards and throwing five touchdown passes. In the three games since he has thrown a single touchdown and eight interceptions. Mike Leach decided to stick with him this week against Texas A&M but things didn’t improve.
Costello went 15 of 22 for 99 yards and an interception before being benched for the second week in a row at halftime. True freshman Will Rogers replaced him for the second week in a row and was more effective, going 15 of 18 for 120 yards and a touchdown. Leach has said he will be evaluating the position over their bye week and you get the feeling that Costello’s career with the Bulldogs is over after just four games. If so, he can say goodbye to any chance of being drafted in April.
Tennessee
The Volunteers entered their game with Kentucky as 6.5 point favourites and ranked 18th in the AP Top 25. In the end they fell to a 34-7 loss and their performance is pretty much summarised by their opening five drives: punt, fumble, pick six, pick six, interception. They could not stop turning the ball over and Jarrett Guarantano is clearly not good enough to take this team to the next level.
He was benched after throwing two pick sixes on consecutive drives, before eventually re-entering again in the second half. Freshman quarterback Harrison Bailey played their final series and Jeremy Pruitt is likely considering his options at the position for the rest of the season. To make things worse the team didn’t look much better on defense, failing to force a single punt from Kentucky in the entire second half. It looks like it could be a long season for Vols fans.
Stetson Bennett IV
Before the game with Alabama, a lot had been made about Bennett’s journey to become the Bulldog’s starter. He had surprised many with just how effective he had been, leading the team to a 3-0 start, throwing for five touchdowns and no interceptions. Things started well again this week and Georgia held a 24-20 lead entering halftime. His 177 first half passing yards were the fourth most allowed by the Crimson Tide in the last four years.
The wheels came off in the second half though as Georgia allowed Alabama to put up 21 unanswered points. Bennett looked a lot like the scout team quarterback he was prior to this season and couldn’t deal with the pressure Alabama were bringing. He completed just six passes for 92 yards in the second half and threw two interceptions to take his total to three for the game. He finished with just a 45 per cent completion percentage and questions are already being asked about his future with the Bulldogs.
