The Vols Choke, UCF Stuns BYU, Texas Survives Late Scare

Dawgbone Jr's Weekend Observations: Born barkin', raised on Kirby's domination of rivals, and fueled by SEC and National championships - Dawgbone Jr recaps the weekend's biggest games all season long.

The Vols Choke, UCF Stuns BYU, Texas Survives Late Scare

#6 Indiana 13, Michigan 6

This was the ugliest game of the season by far. Hoosier QB Josh Hoover looked like he was making his first career start, while the Wolverines offense looked like a middle school team. Hoover went 8/18 for 81 yards and an interception, so Indiana had to lean on the run game, and that is why they won. Michigan ran for just 1.4 yards a carry, while Indiana averaged 3.7. The Hoosier defense also might be the best in college football. They played great last week against Ohio State, but their offense didn’t help them, and the same was true this week in Ann Arbor. They shut down Michigan’s run game and made young QB Tommy Carr panic for most of the game. Their defense is just as good as last year’s national championship team, but their offense is so much worse. For Michigan, this season has been a complete disaster in Kyle Whittingham’s first year, and we’ll see how patient the Wolverines are with their new head coach.

#2 BYU 31, UCF 39

The Cougars were riding an all-time high after last week’s win, and it might have bitten them on Saturday. UCF was coming off a bye week, which put them in a perfect position to pull off the upset, and they certainly delivered. The Knights offense was on fire against a good BYU defense. Backup QB Keyone Jenkins put on a show, throwing for 293 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns. UCF also ran for 170 yards and averaged over four yards per carry. Even in defeat, BYU put up one heck of a fight. They were tied with under two minutes left and made a goal line stop to stay alive. Then UCF got the ball back with a field goal attempt to win it in regulation, and the Cougars blocked it. It was a miracle this game even went to overtime. In overtime, BYU got hit with a terrible roughing the kicker call, but overall the Cougars didn’t play well enough to win. Despite the loss, they are still a playoff team.

#11 Tennessee 24, South Carolina 27

At first, it looked like South Carolina was going to blow another double-digit lead, but in the end Tennessee did what the Gamecocks usually do and choked the game away. QB LaNorris Sellers had one of his best games as a Gamecock. He threw one terrible interception, but he was also extremely clutch at the end of the game. Sellers was responsible for all three touchdowns, and the final one might be the play of the season. I’m not sure there’s another QB in the country who could have scored on that final touchdown. Also, a South Carolina kicker finally didn’t let them down. For Tennessee, the word to describe Saturday was sloppy. QB George MacIntyre threw three touchdown passes that were called back because of sloppy, easily avoidable penalties. Then on their final drive, the one thing they couldn’t afford to do was turn the ball over, and they did, which led to the game-winning field goal. Tennessee kept hurting itself, and South Carolina took full advantage.

#7 Ole Miss 27, #19 Texas 34

Texas was coming off two brutal losses to unranked teams and needed to beat the Rebels. They did, but in an interesting way. This game was a tale of two halves. Texas dominated the first half, and the Rebels dominated most of the second until Texas found its gear late. The game showed exactly who Ole Miss has been this year: they can’t run the ball and they can’t stop the run. The Rebels ran for only 113 yards and gave up 207 to the Longhorns. Even with RB Kewan Lacy in the game before he exited, they couldn’t get anything going on the ground. Both quarterbacks had their struggles. Arch Manning looked like typical Arch, but Trinidad Chambliss threw three interceptions, which was shocking. Chambliss threw only three picks all of last year, and he has already thrown seven this year. Texas once again looked like it was going to choke the game away, but a few big runs in the fourth quarter sealed it for the Longhorns. Ultimately, I don’t think either of these teams is playoff caliber.

#14 Houston 13, #10 Utah 21

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen many blown leads in college football, and Houston is now on that list. Houston looked like the much better team, but the second half was horrible for the Cougars. Their offense was bad all night. QB Conner Weigman had been consistent all year, but not on Saturday night, and the run game was atrocious. Houston had just 86 rushing yards and averaged under three yards a carry. They have been one of the best rushing offenses in the Big 12 this year, but they were boxed in by a stout Utah defense. The Utes new head coach, Morgan Scalley, has been incredible in his first year. Scalley played for Utah from 2001 to 2004 and has been on the coaching staff since 2007, so it’s safe to say he’s a Utah legend, and his defense was dominant against Houston. Utah’s offense struggled badly in the first half but played winning football in the second. QB Devon Dampier threw a couple of bad picks, but his legs made the difference. He ran for 150 yards on just 15 carries and two touchdowns. What a night in Salt Lake City for the Utes, who are now at the top of the Big 12.

Other Thoughts

The Dawgs’ loss to Auburn looks so much worse now.
LSU is a playoff team if Sam Leavitt can consistently play like he did on Saturday.
Miami is definitely the best team right now.
Texas Tech had this loss coming. They’ve been poor this year.
Kentucky should make the playoff.
Bama stinks.
Dabo and Lincoln Riley both need to go.
Boise State will be the G5 playoff team.
Iowa pulled an Iowa. Their offense will always stink.
2026 Oregon = 2025 Penn State

Week 9 Game Predictions (5-5 last week)

Arizona 20, Texas Tech 27
Wisconsin 13, Iowa 16
Auburn 24, Ole Miss 34
Arizona State 21, BYU 35
Minnesota 13, Indiana 24
Northwestern 27, Oregon 23
Florida 23, Dawgs 24
Utah 30, Cincinnati 24
South Carolina 24, Oklahoma 21
Clemson 17, Florida State 27
Miami 38, North Carolina 13
Ohio State 27, USC 19
Mississippi State 14, Texas 31

Dawgbone Jr (aka Bennett Wiggins)