It was a crazy Week 10 in college football. Even though the whole article could talk about games all across the country, we’ll once again focus on the Northeast teams.
Duke bowl eligible for first time since 2018 with win over Boston College, 38-31
The Blue Devils are bowl eligible. Duke has not been known as a strong football team in the ACC for many years, but they are bowl eligible, edging the 2-7 Eagles on the road. Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard led the team in passing and rushing, with 254 total yards (including 96 rushing yards) and two total touchdowns. Running back Jaquez Moore had 105 all-purpose yards and two rushing trips to the end zone. Linebacker Shaka Hayward recorded his first sack of the season, along with 11 total tackles and eight solo tackles. Darius Joiner and DeWayne Carter each had two sacks in the win. Due to an injury, Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovic sat while freshman Emmett Morehead started. Morehead had a phenomenal game, passing for 330 yards and four touchdowns. That includes two scores to both Joseph Griffin and Zay Flowers, with Griffin recording 103 receiving yards. The Eagles look to put that four-game skid to an end, but that could be tough with a battle against NC State looming this weekend.
No. 5 Michigan dominates second half, defeats Rutgers to stay undefeated, 52-17
The question everyone is asking is: “who is the best team in the Big Ten, Ohio State or Michigan?” If you watched the second half of the Michigan-Rutgers game, you would have to say the Wolverines. At the break, Rutgers led 17-14, but Michigan scored five touchdowns and a field goal with no answer from the Scarlet Knights in the second half. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy passed for 151 yards and found the end zone either in the air or on the ground a combined three times. Heisman Trophy candidate Blake Corum rushed for 109 yards and two scores, while Isaiah Gash rushed in for a three-yard touchdown. Donovan Edwards was the top receiver with 52 yards and a touchdown, while Cornelius Johnson scored on the receiving end as well. Michael Barrett had two interceptions, including a pick-six. Will Johnson picked off Gavin Wimsatt as well. Wimsatt had three interceptions, passing for 166 yards and a touchdown. Timmy Ward returned a punt seven yards for the other touchdown. Rutgers will now fly to Michigan, but this time in East Lansing, where Michigan State awaits them on Saturday.
No. 15 Penn State stomps Indiana in Bloomington, 45-14
After a tough loss at home against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions sought to get back in the win column against Indiana. Together, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton looked as dominant as former Nittany Lion Saquon Barkley did alone, rushing for 159 yards and four touchdowns. Allen had 158 total yards, as he led Penn State in receiving on two catches. Theo Johnson and Harrison Wallace III caught each of Drew Allar’s passing touchdowns. Sean Clifford did play, passing for 229 yards and one interception. Allar had 75 yards on 9-for-12 passing. The defense had a school-record 16 tackles for loss, with six sacks. Linebacker Kobe King had 2.5 tackles for loss, with eight total tackles and five solo tackles. That’s not all Penn State’s defense did, picking off Dexter Williams II twice and Brendan Sorsby once. The Hoosiers used those two as quarterback, but mainly Jack Tuttle, who passed for 82 yards and a touchdown. Jaylin Lucas rushed for a one-yard score late in the game, but the damage was already done. Penn State returns to Happy Valley, where they host Maryland mid-afternoon Saturday.
No. 20 Syracuse on three-game losing streak, falling to Pittsburgh, 19-9
Syracuse has not won a game since Oct. 15. That’s nearly a month ago. In that span, they’ve lost to Clemson, Notre Dame and now Pittsburgh. The Orange were without Garrett Shrader, so Carlos Del Rio-Wilson started at quarterback. He had more rushing attempts than Sean Tucker, who was certainly not pleased with his performance. That just shows how poorly Syracuse’s offense played, as all of their nine points came from kicker Andre Szmyt. They had an interception off Kedon Slovis and Jared Wayne each. Slovis passed for 176 yards and did not find the end zone. Wayne, who led the team in receiving with 102 yards, will most likely not be passing on a trick play in the near future, as his only attempt was a pick. Rodney Hammond Jr. rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown, showing how good the Panthers are on the ground with Israel Abanikanda out. Syracuse will look to put their skid to an end at home against Florida State, while Pitt travels to Charlottesville to take on Virginia.
Air Force wins Commander-in-Chief’s trophy, defeats Army, 13-7
With a late interception by Camby Goff, Air Force won the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy for the first time since 2016. Most of Air Force’s success was from Brad Roberts, who rushed for 135 yards on 33 carries. Haaziq Daniels scored the only touchdown for the Falcons, rushing for 89 yards total in Saturday’s rivalry game. Army did not have much of a passing offense, with Jemel Jones only completing four of his 14 attempts. However, he still led the Black Knights in rushing and scrambled for the team’s only touchdown of the game. Andre Carter II was impressive, at least late in the game with two tackles for loss. Army will travel to Alabama to face Troy on Saturday to try to keep their hopes for a bowl game alive.
