Texas A&M’s Mammoth Alabama Upset Disrupts Frenzied College Football Landscape.
Alabama coach Nick Saban was talking about his team’s game versus Texas A&M at College Station, Texas, on his radio programme earlier this week.
“This is a little bit of a trap game for us,” he said, with startling candour.
It was logical.
This had all the makings of a classic “trap game,” in which a surging, highly-ranked team met a depressed, unranked foe.
The No. 1 Crimson Tide, fresh off a rout of Ole Miss in a highly anticipated game last week,
faced a two-loss Aggies squad that had previously fallen at home to Mississippi State.
It was the classic trap game.
And it will always be known as “The Trap Game” throughout Aggieland.
Texas A&M rocked the Top 10 and the whole college football landscape on Saturday,
killing the top-ranked Tide 41–38 in a shocking upset at Kyle Field.
The Aggies (4–2) accomplished it with a backup quarterback as well.
The defence suffocated the Tide in the first half, special teams returned a kickoff for a touchdown,
and kicker Seth Small kicked a 28-yard field goal as time expired.
Small’s kick put a stop to a number of streaks.
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Saban lost against a former assistant coach for the first time in his coaching tenure.
He’s currently a 24–1 player. For the first time in 100 games, Alabama fell to an unranked opponent.
For the first time since 2008, an AP top-ranked team fell to an unranked opponent.
“Everyone has to remember and not forget how they feel,”
Saban said after the game.
The Trap Game brought an exciting day of football to a close and helped us reorganise our Top 10. To defeat Texas,
Oklahoma needed a miraculous comeback spearheaded by their backup true freshman quarterback.
Lane Kiffin’s Rebels were defeated 52–51 by Arkansas in the Bounce Back Bowl after the Hogs failed to convert a possible game-winning 2-point play.
BYU and Penn State, both undefeated, were defeated.
SMU, UTSA, and Wake Forest, all unbeaten, made it through. Michigan State’s season-opening trip continues, and Kentucky—Kentucky!—is now 6–0.
We’ll start with the top ten…
Georgia (6–0)
is the number one team in the country.
Last game: 34–10 victory against Auburn
The next game will be against Kentucky.
Auburn-Georgia, dubbed the “Oldest Rivalry in the Deep South,” is renowned for producing some wild and insane shocks. This year, not so much.
The Bulldogs not only activated their five-star defence,
but backup quarterback Stetson Bennett passed for 231 yards and ran for another 44 yards, scoring two scores.
Iowa (6–0)
is the second-best team in the country.
Last game: 23–20 victory against Penn State
The next game is against Purdue.
Kirk Ferentz gave it his all.
In the most Ferentizian of ways, Kirk Ferentz and Iowa punted their way to a comeback win.
The Hawkeyes outplayed the Nittany Lions on defence (with four turnovers),
gained field position, and had the ball for 10 minutes longer than they did.
Cincinnati (6–0)
is ranked third.
Last game: 52–3 victory against Temple.
The next game will be against UCF.
The Bearcats handled the pressure of last week’s road victory at Notre Dame well, destroying the Owls in the manner that any CFP candidate should.
Temple had 11 drives that resulted in seven punts, two failed fourth downs, an interception,
and a 55-yard field goal that rebounded in after hitting the crossbar.
So, to summarise, Luke Fickell’s defence performed well. The offensive performed as well (UC had 542 yards).
Oklahoma (6–0)
is ranked fourth.
Texas was defeated 55–48 in the previous game.
TCU is the team’s next opponent.
The Sooners shocked Texas by rallying from huge deficits behind, of all people, a true freshman quarterback in one of the most famous episodes of the Red River Rivalry.
Caleb Williams took over for Spencer Rattler, who had been a preseason Heisman Trophy contender, and guided OU to an unexpected win.
Oklahoma was behind 28–7 after one quarter, 35–17 after two quarters and 41–23 with less than three minutes remaining in the third.
Coach Lincoln Riley’s squad scored 25 consecutive points in a nine-minute period starting with 1:04 left in the third quarter,
storming to victory on a 33-yard touchdown run by tailback Kennedy Brooks with three seconds remaining.
Michigan (6–0)
is ranked fifth.
Nebraska was defeated 32–29 in the previous game.
The team’s next game is on Oct. 23 against Northwestern.
Here’s an example of a trap game in which the trapper, the Huskers, fails to secure the trapper, the Wolverines. Nebraska rallied with a 22-point third quarter,
but kicker Jake Moody tied the game with field goals of 31 and 39 yards (to win).
After a Nebraska go-ahead score, the first field goal was kicked, and the second was kicked after NU quarterback Adrian Martinez lost a fumble.
Alabama (5–1)
is ranked sixth.
Last game: Texas A&M defeated them 41–38.
Mississippi State is the team’s next opponent.
God bless the nice folks of Starkville, who will be hosting an enraged Nick Saban and his irritated Alabama Tide next weekend.
Regardless matter what you think, Alabama still has a clear route to the College Football Playoff. But, of course, that won’t happen until you win.
This includes defeating Georgia, the presumptive SEC East winner, in the SEC East championship game in December.
Penn State (5–1)
is ranked seventh.
Iowa defeated Iowa 23–20 in the previous game.
The team’s next game is on Oct. 23 against Illinois.
The Nittany Lions lost quarterback Sean Clifford during this game at Kinnick Stadium,
adding insult to injury. Penn State struggled to move the ball with their starter out,
and the Hawkeyes surged back for a field-storming victory.
Penn State’s path to the College Football Playoff took a significant detour. Ohio State and Michigan are the only opponents remaining on the schedule.
Michigan State (6–0)
is ranked eighth.
Last game: 31–13 victory against Rutgers
The next game will be played in Indiana.
In his second season as head coach, Mel Tucker has transformed the Spartans from Big Ten cellar dwellers to genuine league championship contenders.
Kenneth Walker, his running back, rushed for 233 yards against Greg Schiano’s defence.
Sparty’s defence kept up the pressure on the opposition attacks. Only once this season has the defence allowed more than 21 points.
Kentucky (6–0)
is ranked ninth.
Last game: LSU was defeated 42–21.
The next game will be played in Georgia.
For the first time since 1950, the Wildcats are 6–0.
Who’d have guessed that a game between Kentucky and Georgia in mid-October would decide the SEC East? Nonetheless, here we are.
The titanic clash will take place in Athens next Saturday.
Coach Mark Stoops is a defensive genius, with his squad allowing 10, 28, 23, 10, 13, and 21 scores in six games this season.
Coastal Carolina (6–0)
is ranked 10th.
Last game: 52–20 victory against Arkansas State.
The team’s next game is on October 20th against Appalachian State.
The Chanticleers and quarterback Grayson McCall may not make the four-team postseason,
but coach Jameel Chadwell has his club on track for a second consecutive double-digit victory season.
The Coastal offence, a spread triple option approach, is entertaining to watch and confounds its opponents.
In five of their last six games, the Chants have scored at least 49 points.
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Texas A&M’s Mammoth Alabama Upset Disrupts Frenzied College Football Landscape
