Week 9 was crazy, whether it was a fourth-quarter performance by Ohio State, or Syracuse being blown out at home. Also, how did Pittsburgh do against one of the top teams in the ACC? Here’s a recap of Week 9 Northeast college football:
No. 2 Ohio State remains undefeated, defeats No. 13 Penn State 44-31
Ohio State is the College Football Playoff’s No. 2 team for a reason. J.T. Tuimoloau had an incredible game, showing how the Buckeyes are one of the best defensive teams in the country. He recovered two fumbles, had six total tackles and three solo tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, one pass deflection and two interceptions, one of them being a pick-six. Heisman Trophy candidate C.J. Stroud passed for 354 yards and a touchdown, while Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford passed for 371 yards and three touchdowns. What lost the Nittany Lions the game were the three interceptions thrown by Clifford. Parker Washington had a phenomenal game, with 11 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown. Turnovers were a major problem, as Penn State managed to fumble three times. They will travel to Bloomington to take on Indiana.
Notre Dame stomps No. 16 Syracuse, 41-24
Garrett Shrader was not on his A-game Saturday afternoon, as he threw a pick-six on the opening play. He missed the entire second half due to an undisclosed injury. The backup, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, did not do much better, passing for 190 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Running back Sean Tucker was not pleased with his performance, as he only found the end zone once and did not rack up a lot of scrimmage yards (82). Despite nothing for loss, Mikel Jones had a whopping 16 total tackles, with 10 of them being solo tackles. Notre Dame’s Drew Pyne passed for 116 yards, a touchdown and a pick. However, the stars of the game were Audric Estime, who rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and Brandon Joseph, who had a 29-yard pick-six. Marist Liufau also had an interception in the game. The Orange have dropped the last two games, but remain in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division. They will travel to Steel City this Saturday to take on Pittsburgh.
No. 21 North Carolina routs Pittsburgh, 42-24
Speaking of Pittsburgh, guess who was blown out by the red-hot Tar Heels? That’s right, Pitt was. Quarterback Drake Maye could be considered the ACC Player of the Year, passing for 388 yards and five touchdowns in Carolina’s win over the Panthers. Antoine Green and Josh Downs each had excellent games. Green had 10 receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while Downs had 11 catches for 102 yards and a pair of scores himself. Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis passed for 236 yards and was below 50% on his passing rate for the game. The offense, once again, was carried by running back Israel Abanikanda, who rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Despite not finding the end zone, Jared Wayne had seven catches for 161 yards to inflate Slovis’ passing yards. The Panthers will host No. 20 Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.
New Mexico State wins on the road vs. UMass, 23-13
It’s no secret that UMass is the worst team in college football. New Mexico State, of all teams, defeated the Minutemen in Amherst, 23-13. The Aggies picked up their first road win since Sept. 22, 2018, while UMass falls to 1-7. UMass quarterback Brady Olson passed for 97 yards and an interception, which is about as bad of a day one could have in football entirely, not just college football. The only touchdown of the game was scored on the ground by Kay’Ron Adams, who rushed for 72 yards on just six carries. New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia passed for 194 yards and two scores, splitting time with Gavin Frakes, who did not have as great of a day. Chris Ojoh seemed like he was on nearly every play, with eight assisted tackles. Lazarus Williams may have been the best defensive player on the field, with seven total tackles, six solo tackles, one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass deflection and one QB hurry-up. Syrus Dumas had an interception in the game, the only one for either team. It’s a rivalry game Friday night at the Rentschler Field, where UConn will host UMass.
Yale defeats Columbia, 41-16
Quarterback Nolan Grooms had a great game in the Bulldogs’ Week 9 win over Columbia, where Grooms passed for 346 yards and four touchdowns, while also being the leading rusher with 49 yards. Chase Nenad and Ryan Lindley were the top two targets for Grooms. Nenad was efficient, with three receptions for a whopping 117 yards and one touchdown. Lindley had 100 yards on six catches, finding the end zone twice. Columbia, on the other hand, was not as great offensively. Quarterback Caden Bell passed for 224 yards and a touchdown, with the touchdown going to J.J. Jenkins, who had 78 yards on four catches. Bell also lost a fumble in the game, giving the Bulldogs the advantage on the takeaway part of the game. Yale will host Brown on Saturday, while the Lions will travel to Cambridge to take on Harvard.
