Week 7 was one of the best weeks so far in college football, with two top-25 matchups including Northeast college football teams. Let’s look at the scores from this past weekend.
No. 10 Penn State no longer undefeated in blowout loss to No. 5 Michigan, 41-17
In a noon top-10 matchup between Michigan and Penn State, the Wolverines ran for 418 yards at the Big House, including two incredible 166+ yard performances from Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum, who combined for four rushing touchdowns. Despite the offense fumbling twice and quarterback J.J. McCarthy throwing an interception, Michigan’s offense was dominant. Penn State could not keep up with the scoring Michigan had on offense, with only one touchdown scored, run in by Kaytron Allen. The other touchdown came on a 47-yard pick-six by Curtis Jacobs, and Jake Pinegar kicked a 27-yard field goal to bring the Nittany Lions’ total to 17 points. It’s a white-out night game this Saturday, as Penn State hosts Minnesota.
No. 18 Syracuse dominates No. 15 NC State, staying undefeated in 24-9 win
Running back Sean Tucker was pleased with his performance as the Orange blew out the Devin Leary-less Wolfpack, 24-9. Tucker had 114 all-purpose yards, with a rushing touchdown to finish the day. Quarterback Garrett Shrader passed for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 16-for-25 passing. Despite two interceptions thrown by Shrader, he passed both touchdowns to Oronde Gadsen II, who racked up 141 receiving yards. Without preseason ACC Player of the Year Devin Leary, NC State had trouble scoring, as all nine points were scored on field goals by kicker Christopher Dunn. Syracuse’s next game is their toughest yet, as they have an undefeated top-15 battle in Death Valley against the No. 5 Clemson Tigers at noon.
Buffalo dominates on the road against UMass, 34-7
Buffalo quarterback Cole Snyder shined in the Bulls’ blowout victory against UMass, passing for 277 yards and three touchdowns on 20-for-31 passing. Despite throwing two interceptions and Quian Williams fumbling, Buffalo got the job done. There were no turnovers for the Minutemen, but they lacked a reliable scoring offense. The top offensive player was running back Ellis Merriweather, who scored the only touchdown UMass had in the game. They were able to force two interceptions, but could not capitalize on their drives. What’s upsetting is that the Minutemen were not able to get in field goal range, giving kicker Cameron Carson nothing to work for. As the Bulls are one game above .500, they head back home from Amherst to host Toledo on Saturday afternoon, while UMass heads on their bye week in preparation for New Mexico State at home on Oct. 29.
Army blows out Colgate at home, 42-17
Both teams searched for their second win of the season as Colgate traveled to West Point to face Army. It was quite the Army victory on Saturday, as the Black Knights combined for 467 rushing yards and six touchdowns. That includes Jemel Jones rushing for 113 yards and two scores, including a 75-yard run. On defense, Army recovered a fumble and picked off Colgate quarterback Michael Brescia. Brescia was responsible for both touchdowns on Saturday, passing one to Treyvohn Saunders and taking one to the end zone on the ground. Brescia had 207 all-purpose yards and an interception in the loss. The Raiders will host Georgetown at noon on Saturday, while Army hosts Louisiana-Monroe in search of their second consecutive win.
Yale routs Bucknell to keep Bison winless, 29-9
Bucknell is among the worst teams at the FCS level, with a 0-6 start. What was unfortunate for the Bison is that Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms threw four interceptions and lost a fumble, and Bucknell could only score once. Bison running back Rushawn Baker carried 20 times for 113 yards and the lone touchdown. Grooms was responsible for all four touchdowns, one in the air and three on the ground. He scrambled for 95 yards as he was the top rusher on the Bulldogs. The only passing touchdown was to David Pantelis, who finished the day with eight receptions for 106 yards. The Bulldogs, with a record of 4-1, return to their Ivy League schedule as they will travel to historic Franklin Field to face the Penn Quakers. The winless Bison will travel to face Lehigh at noon on Saturday.
