Mike Farrell Sports

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Week 10 National Blitz: Dabo Delivers, Leaky Trojans, Bedlam, A Prime Fall, & Much More

Week 10 saw Dabo Deliver, USC Fold, Another Aggie Yell of Agony, Gundy Man Up, and Much More!

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Nov 4
Nov 4

By Rock Westfall

Week 10 saw Dabo Deliver, USC Fold, Another Aggie Yell of Agony, Gundy Man Up, Prime’s Fall, and Much More!

Stock Up – Dabo Delivers!

Following two consecutive losses and plenty of off-field frustration, coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers flipped the narrative in an impressive 31-23 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Tigers caught the Fighting Irish still in bed, leaping to a 24-6 second-quarter lead. After waking up, Notre Dame got to within 31-23 midway through the third quarter, but there was no more scoring.

Phil Mafah led Clemson with 182 yards and two touchdowns. Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman had a miserable day against the Clemson defense (13/30, 146 YDS, 2 INT).

The win was the most important in recent Clemson (5-4, 2-4) history. Dabo’s career and program were on the ropes. But Clemson Nation rallied with a tremendous crowd that rushed the field after the game. Everyone with a stake in the program went all in, and it showed.

The win does not absolve Swinney from the demand that he get up to speed with NIL and the transfer portal. But it was obvious Dabo rallied the program and fans, and they responded to his leadership.

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As for Notre Dame (7-3), they failed to overcome their gravity. Marcus Freeman has a good program, but nowhere near great. The second-year coach and his team were outclassed and unprepared.

After the game, during the field rush of delighted fans, Swinney advised the world to buy plenty of Clemson stock. Perhaps with some institutional program changes, long-term investors may find that good advice.

The game was a reminder that Clemson football can be damn fun when it is right. And that Dabo is a hard guy to root against.

A Pitiful, Helpless, Wannabe Giant 

The USC Trojans reached a new level of absurdity in a 52-42 all-hands-on-deck home loss to the Washington Huskies. USC is out of the Pac-12 and College Football Playoff conversation.

The Trojans scored the first TD, but Washington immediately responded. That set the tone for a basketball-style back-and-forth affair. Coach Lincoln Riley’s offense was well-designed, producing 515 yards and scoring enough for what should have been a Pac-12 statement-making win. But the Troy Boy defense was ground into beach sand, allowing 572 yards. Washington RB Dillon Johnson rushed for 256 yards and four TDs. U-Dub QB Michael Penix Jr. threw for 256 yards and two TDs.

Riley’s program is eerily reminiscent of Rich Rodgriguez’s time at Michigan. As coaches at those superpower mega-brands, Riley and Rich Rod dialed up prolific offenses with zero defense to complement them.

USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is the Brian Ferentz of defense. His unit ranks 123rd overall and 124th for points allowed. Indeed, the Grinch Who Stole Defense has now stolen Christmas, too. USC is en route to a minor bowl game around Christmastime. That lump of coal is hardly what Trojan fans and donors expected from Santa.  

As for Riley, he is on the other side of the Kirk Ferentz coin. Ferentz leads an Iowa program with no offense. By contrast, Riley’s USC contingent has no defense. Both win and flirt with contention but fail in the end with incomplete squads.

Indeed, Grinch has now reached indefensible status. But this is Riley’s program. If defense and physicality mattered to Lincoln, USC would have some of it. Riley’s teams have never prioritized it, dating back to his time in Oklahoma.

The Washington game was a new level of national humiliation for USC. The Trojans were putrid and helpless. They are wasting the nation’s second-highest-scoring offense. And Riley is squandering the talents of a Heisman Trophy-winning QB. Riley’s program has an embarrassing lack of toughness and manhood, which championship football demands.

USC (7-3, 5-2) is not winning at a championship level with Caleb Williams. So, what is the point of having Williams?

Next up for the Troy Boys is a road game at the Oregon Ducks (8-1, 5-1). Oregon is coming off a 63-19 demolition of a California Golden Bears team that USC should have lost to.

Oregon is not a warm place this time of year. It’s not the place for soft surfer boys and lazy, entitled beach bums. Perhaps USC can pull a Michigan and call in sick.

Well Past Time to Pass the Jimbo-Sized Hat 

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher will never lead the Aggies to the Promised Land. Further confirmation came in a 38-35 loss at Mississippi. Ole Miss jumped out to a 14-0 lead only to see Texas A&M seize the advantage at 35-31 with 4:34 remaining. But Quinshon Jenkins ran for the game-winning TD with 1:40 to go. Subsequently, Randy Bond’s 47-yard field goal attempt was deflected for another Aggie Yell of Agony.

Fisher’s buyout is somewhere in the $75 million range. And that is not his fault. Aggie boosters eagerly decided to extend and raise a coach nobody wanted to poach. Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3) has always been a desperado wannabe. But they back up those aspirations with unlimited cash and investment. Aggie boosters will have to swallow hard and pay Jimbo to leave.  Furthermore, with the hated and surging Texas Longhorns arriving at the SEC next year, the big-money guys will be more motivated to stroke checks.

Pistols Firing at Venables – Gundy Gets Last Laugh 

Bedlam has been a perpetual program misery for Oklahoma State and coach Mike Gundy. But the Cowboys got the last laugh in its final edition, beating Oklahoma 27-24. Oklahoma’s dreams of the College Football Playoff are over. And its Big 12 championship aspirations are on life support. The loss will likely kick OU out of the nation’s Top Ten.

OSU QB Alan Bowman shot down the Sooner Schooner with 334 yards passing. And Ollie Gordon II ran for 137 yards and a TD in a balanced attack.

During the game, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables showed how the pressure of the game was consuming him. Venables was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty that played a key part in Oklahoma State’s game-winning drive.  Venables’ undisciplined team committed eight penalties with three turnovers.  

Venables did not help himself after the game, with coach-speak quotes about liking the effort of his team and its refusal to quit. At Oklahoma (7-2, 4-2), such quotes are for losers and little brother programs. Venables is expected to beat Oklahoma State (7-2, 5-1). He failed. And his program is quickly descending with a second half of the season swoon, just as it did last year.

Gundy’s Pokes have enjoyed a remarkable remake after a terrible start to the 2023 season. Oklahoma State is in the mix for the Big 12 championship game. This week, they hit the road to face a struggling UCF team. Oklahoma will host the rapidly improving West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday.

Billy Napier and His Gators in the Trough 

The Florida Gators suffered a draining and costly 39-36 overtime loss to the visiting Arkansas Razorbacks. Florida (5-4, 3-3) is one game short of bowl eligibility. And with games at LSU and Missouri, followed by the regular season finale at home vs. Florida State, it’s a realistic fear for Gator fans that they could stay home for the holidays.

It was a huge win and reprieve for Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks rallied for 481 total yards in their first game after firing offensive coordinator Dan Enos. QB KJ Jefferson turned in a big day with 255 yards passing and two TDs while rushing for 92 yards and another score. Jefferson took advantage of Florida’s sloppy tackling all day.

Florida coach Billy Napier was given an unlimited budget, which he exceeded a few days after taking the job. Florida has a bigger staff than the governments of many nations. Napier is facing the wrath of Gator Nation, who believes Rome was built in an hour.

Recent Florida coaches such as Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, and Dan Mullen were chewed up and crapped out as the Gator bait that they were. McElwain and Mullen were relatively successful, but remember that this fan base eventually drove away their favorite son and program savior, Steve Spurrier. McElwain publicly feared assassination, with Lee Harvey Oswald potentially waiting in a Swampy Knoll. Meanwhile, Mullen was labeled a lazy recruiter, which was not precisely fair.

The days ahead for Napier will test every fiber of his being. And missing a bowl will permanently damage his quality of life.

For Arkansas (3-6, 1-5), their Gator Meat Feast takes the heat off coach Sam Pittman. Next, the Hogs are home for three consecutive games (Auburn, FIU, and Missouri). Incredibly, if Arkansas scores the hat trick, which is possible, they will go bowling.

KSU Wildcats Eaten by a Sark 

After blowing a 27-7 third-quarter lead, Texas managed to stop Kansas State on a 4th down attempt from the 4-yard line in overtime to preserve a 33-30 win. It was the bold type of character win that was previously rare on the Forty Acres.

Texas (8-1, 5-1) leads the Big 12 race and is in the thick of the College Football Playoff chase. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian deserves credit for working his team through the blown lead and shepherding the offense without injured starting QB Quinn Ewers.

Backup redshirt freshman QB Maalik Murphy has been solid in his on-the-job training, with two wins in two starts. Additionally, Sark’s emphasis on the ground game paid off as Jonathan Brooks rushed for 112 yards on 22 carries with a TD. Also contributing was CJ Baxter with ten carries, 90 yards, and a TD.

Kansas State (6-3, 4-2) decided to forego an almost certain OT field goal and the tie to instead go for the win. Texas read the play perfectly, forcing KSU QB Will Howard to throw up a dead duck prayer that never had a chance. The play was so well-read and anticipated that one wonders if Connor Stalions has taken his talents to Austin.

A Prime Slide Down the Boulder 

The free-fall of the Colorado Buffaloes continued in a 26-19 home loss to the Oregon State Beavers. CU coach Deion Sanders demoted offensive coordinator Sean Lewis in favor of former NFL coach Pat Shurmur, who called the plays instead. It was a catastrophe.

Late in the first half, with Colorado trailing 7-3 and the ball on its own 4-yard line, Shurmur called two pass plays instead of just running out the clock. Both passes fell incomplete. That allowed Oregon State enough time for a quick TD and a 14-3 lead at the half. One wonders if Lewis was secretly feeling some serious schadenfreude.  

Colorado was outgained 418-238 and rushed for negative seven yards. The penalty-prone Buffs were flagged eight times. CU QB Shedeur Sanders was a pedestrian 24/39, 245 yards, and 2 TDs under the Real Man of Genius, Shurmur.

Colorado has lost four of its last five games. This Saturday brings the home finale against the rolling and bowl-bound Arizona Wildcats. Road games at Washington State and Utah follow. Where Prime finds the two wins needed for bowl eligibility is anyone’s guess.

Also on the minds of a concerned nation holding its collective breath is where all the celebrities will go now that it’s cold and college football is no longer their favorite sport. Well, perhaps the NBA Tournament offers the luminary class warm refuge… 

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