🏈 🔵 Why Kansas Will Continue To Win Big Games
In less than three years at the Jayhawks' helm, Lance Leipold transformed a Big 12 laughing stock into a formidable force with two AP Top 25 wins over the last two seasons.
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Dudes of the Week
Devin Neal | Running Back, Kansas
Lance Leipold’s passing attack struggled against Oklahoma, but running back Devin Neal willed the Jayhawks to a 38-33 victory over the No. 6 Sooners as the unit’s bell cow weapon.
The Kansas native compiled 112 yards throughout the contest on 25 carries, including one touchdown. Now, Neal is on pace to eclipse 1,000 yards, holding claim to 771 yards on the ground through eight matchups.
Neal’s efforts helped Kansas prevail over the Big 12 conference giant for the first time since 1997, snapping an 18-game losing streak in the series.
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Troy Franklin | Wide Receiver, Oregon
As less than a touchdown favorite, Oregon waltzed into Utah and immediately posted 14 first-quarter points behind Bo Nix’s steady, Heisman-grade arm.
The quarterback completed 24 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns, but 40% of his production came from pass catcher Troy Franklin.
Averaging 16.7 yards per reception on the campaign, Franklin continued his constant trend of explosivity by racking up eight catches for 99 yards and a goal-line score on a three-yard play.
Audric Estime | Running Back, Notre Dame
Notre Dame exemplified complementary football on Saturday, giving up just 255 yards defensively and posting a 535-yard output itself.
Sam Hartman paced the Fighting Irish with 288 yards through the air, but Audric Estime helped Marcus Freeman’s group pick up 25 first-downs to dominate the explosive play and time-of-possession battles.
In all, Estime toted the rock only 19 times on the ground. However, the New York product gained 114 yards on six yards per carry while accumulating three touchdowns.
Quote of the Weekend
Deion Sanders | Head Coach, Colorado
“The big picture, you get new lineman. That's the picture and I’m going to paint it perfectly.”
Within Deion Sanders’ first campaign at the helm of the Buffaloes, media members and analysts have become accustomed to the NFL Hall of Famer’s inability to hold back in the press room.
During Colorado’s 28-16 loss to UCLA in a sold-out Rose Bowl environment, Sanders’ offensive line gave up seven sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. Now, the Buffaloes lead both categories within the Power Five ranks.
When Sanders first arrived in Boulder, the head coach made it clear that he’d be “bringing his luggage with him” from the transfer portal. While he picked up a staggering 51 signees through the free-agency-centric system, he made it clear he’s still lacking in the trenches after falling to 4-4.
Sleeper of the Weekend
NC State
After falling 24-3 to Duke and barely edging out Marshall 48-41 in its last two battles, NC State entered its highly-anticipated home matchup with Clemson as nearly 10-point underdogs.
While the Wolfpack typically play the Tigers tough in historic four-quarter affairs, Dabo Swinney’s bunch went on a nine-game series-winning tear from 2012 to 2019.
Now, Dave Doeren’s squad has compiled two wins in its last three go-arounds with Clemson, winning 24-17 in Raleigh.
In response to Utah’s celebrity guest picker Steve Smith Sr. on ESPN’s College GameDay, Doeren let loose postgame.
“Tell Steve Smith in the studio this ain't a basketball school,” Doeren said. “He can kiss my ass.”
Hot Seat Alert
Dave Aranda | Head Coach, Baylor
Following Aranda’s stint on LSU’s national championship unit in 2019, the coveted defensive coordinator took over for Matt Rhule during the COVID-19 pandemic-hindered season three years ago.
Baylor fell to Iowa State 30-18 on Saturday afternoon, bringing the Bears’ campaign-spanning record to 3-5. Moreover, despite picking up a Big 12 Championship victory in 2021, Aranda’s record as a head coach is just 23-21.
With four contests left on the docket, Aranda will have to go 3-1 to maintain bowl eligibility, which has become an unspoken standard at Baylor given the program’s recent success within the last 10 years.
Stat You Probably Didn’t Know
Only three quarterbacks in FBS history finished a regular season with at least a 76% completion percentage in Joe Burrow, Colt McCoy, and Mac Jones.
Both JJ McCarthy and Bo Nix are on track to break both records in 2023.
Currently, both signal callers boast competition rates of over 78.1 percent, marking the most efficient passing outputs in college football history at the highest level.
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
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