Saturday was filled with great match ups, big time performances and even a strange ending or two in the world of college football.  Just ask Wisconsin players and coaches about that one.  I spent much of the day watching great match ups between high powered teams that were looking for something to prove.  Some teams succeeded very well in that effort while others fell flat on their face.

The Good:

The battle between Texas A&M and Alabama definitely lived up to the hype.  Alabama was able to hold on for a 49-42 victory in College Station after the Aggies failed to recover an onside kick with only seconds remaining.  The game was filled with big time performances by great offensive players and virtually no defense.  Alabama was led by quarterback AJ McCarron who had a masterful game picking apart a horrible Aggies secondary.  He completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns.  Even though the Aggies lost, they still did some special things on offense.  Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel had a record setting day by completing 28 of 39 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns while also throwing two costly interceptions.  He also carried the ball 14 times for 98 yards.  His favorite target on the day was sophomore wide out Mike Evans who caught seven passes for 279 yards and a touchdown.

The Oregon Ducks started out the game against the Tennessee Volunteers very slowly and even trailed at one point 7-0.  That’s when the Ducks got rolling and ran off 59 straight points to embarrass the one time SEC power.  Plenty of Ducks had great games including freshman tight end John Mundt who caught five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.  The defense also played very well, only allowing 138 yards through the air and 14 first downs.

The bad:

The Akron Zips had the ball deep in Michigan territory with less than a minute to play and a chance to have the upset of the season when something went terribly wrong.  The Zips decided to run the ball on third down instead of dialing up a passing play.  They got shut down easily on the play and weren’t able to find the end zone on fourth down either.

The Zips late decision making wasn’t the only bad part of the Akron and Michigan game however.  Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner really had a rough outing only completing 16 of 30 passes including three interceptions.  For Michigan to make a push for the Big Ten Title the Wolverines need Gardner to make fewer mistakes.

Joel Stave might have had the worst day of any college football player on Saturday.  If you don’t know who Stave is then you clearly haven’t seen the highlights of the Arizona State Wisconsin game.  Stave, who is the quarterback for Wisconsin decided to set the ball down on the ground instead of spiking it to stop the college while the Badgers were within range to hit a short field goal to win.  Since he never spiked the ball, the clock didn’t stop and time ran out before Wisconsin could get off another play.  The Badgers lost the game 32-30.

I’m not quite sure but I don’t think coaches recruited players on the defensive side of the ball anymore.  At least that’s what it looked like in most games on Saturday.  Some of the best teams in the country allowed huge yardage totals and a bunch of points.  Even number one Alabama gave up almost 700 yards and 42 points.

The players:

Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin- even though the Badgers lost in heartbreaking fashion, Gordon had a monster night.  He carried the ball 15 times for 193 yards and two scores including an 80 yard touchdown run to start the third quarter.

Marion Grice, Arizona State- not to be outdone by his opposing running back, Grice carried the ball 22 times for 84 yards and four touchdowns as well as making five catches for 50 yards in the Sun Devils victory.

Blake Bell, Oklahoma- the “Bell-Dozer” made a huge impression during his first career start.  Bell completed 27 of 37 passes for 413 yards and four touchdowns as the Sooners made quick work of Tulsa on Saturday.

Marcus Mariota, Oregon- Mariota was virtually unstoppable in the Ducks 59-14 win over Tennessee.  He 23 of 33 passes for 456 yards and four touchdowns as well as carrying the ball six times for 27 yards and another score.

Jeff Scott, Ole’ Miss- Scott was a dominant force in the Rebels 44-23 win over the Texas Longhorns.  Scott carried the ball 19 times for 164 yards and one touchdown and returned a punt 73 yards for another score.

Brett Hundley, UCLA- Hundley was a huge art of the Bruins come from behind victory on Saturday morning in Lincoln.  After digging a 21-3 hole midway through the second quarter, Hundley and the Bruins answered back with 38 unanswered points for a 41-21 win.  On the day, Hundley completed 16 of 24 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns as well as carrying the ball 19 times for 61 yards.

Sean Mannion, Oregon State- Mannion had his third huge game in a row as the Beavers escaped Salt Lake City win a 51-48 victory over the Utah Utes.  Mannion completed 27 of 44 passes for 443 yards and five touchdowns.

Bishop Sankey, Washington- Sankey carried the ball 35 times for 208 yards and a touchdown as well as catching three passes for 63 yards and another score as Washington went into Chicago and beat the Illini 34-24.

Brandin Cooks, Oregon State- Cooks was on the receiving end of nine of Mannion’s completions for 210 yards and three scores including the six yard game winner in overtime as the Beavers snuck out of Utah with a win.

Jay Ajayi, Boise State- Ajayi carried the ball 17 times for 125 yards and four touchdowns as the Broncos were able to beat the Air Force Falcons 42-20.